Tournament of Fate: The Rise of UWU, Act 2
by LordryuTJ
Summary: The stage is set. The competitors are finalized. Time for war. Rated M for violence. Almost complete - epilogue coming soon
1. PRELUDE: Till It's Gone

**Act 2 – The Tournament Begins  
 _'Till It's Gone_**

 **So here we are. The characters are here. The scene's set. Everything's signed in. It's been leading to this moment. This act _will_ be where the Tournament of Fate starts, and will go about the first two rounds of the tournament! That way, Act 3 will carry the rest of the tournament, with the semi-finals, and the epilogue following the finals. So yeah, that's the thick of it.**

 **I hope you'll enjoy what I've put together, especially after over 1,500 views by the time I'm typing this out.**

 **The rating will stay at M, just to be safe, due to the fact that some of the battles you'll see in the Tournament will be pretty graphic here and there.**

* * *

 _February 21, 2016  
Location: Los Angeles, California – Staples Center  
Time: 6:50 PM_

It's been almost 24 hours since Daniel Bryan got the call. We've seen what he's been offered.

Almost 24 hours since Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns went off on a mission to help him out. We've seen the effort they've gone through to get to him.

Almost 24 hours since Kevin Owens enlisted himself to get Dean and Roman back. We've seen the true colors behind him, almost immediately after he convinced the Authority to trust him.

Almost 24 hours, since Paul Heyman made arrangements with the mysterious, shrouded backer, Dario Cueto. We've seen who was brought into this situation, with the promise of 'redemption'.

 _Almost 24 hours, since the night that set it all in motion. We'll see what comes next..._

* * *

"Hey, Dean..."

Dean Ambrose looks up from the wrist tape, sitting on a bench, towards the punching bag just a couple feet away from him.

Then he turns his head and meets eye-to-eye with Roman Reigns.

"...It's almost showtime. You ready?"

Ambrose smiles as he adjusts the laces of his shoes. "As always."

The vest-clad warrior nods as the Lunatic Fringe stands up. As the two close companions stand side-by-side, walking out of the room, Ambrose withdraws a pair of earbuds from his jeans. Music helps the journey, after all.

Wearing the ear, it's almost as if the light strumming of a guitar, and the light drumming backing it, can be heard by all.

Brock Lesnar strikes against a punching bag, attacking with nothing but aggression. The innovator of Suplex City nearly takes the bag off its hinges with how powerful his blows are, how hard they feel to pretty much anything.

Daniel Bryan opens a locker, examining the contents inside; his wrestling attire laced in red, white and black, and a fairly new shirt to go along with it.

 _I'm not the table you can come and lay your cup down on now_

Sherry Birkin adjusts her boots, preparing for her eventual bout... black shoes, tight dark green pants, blue scarf, beige shirt... don't think there's much of a dress code, so whatever suits her best.

 _I'm not the shoulder for a bag  
The one that carried a heavy load_

Scorpion – formerly Hanzo Hasashi – stares deeply into the shine of metal on his spear. He winds it back up to his side and puts his mask on, ready to battle with the burning flame within him.

 _I'm not the road that you take when you lookin' for a shortcut  
I ain't the steppin' stone to be steppin' on  
I ain't nobody's crutch_

 _I ain't the money, man  
With your money, man  
You ain't lookin' at me_

Wearing his iconic skull-stamped vest, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin takes a quick swig of beer, before smiling ahead, sensing the squared-circle that awaits him.

 _I'm not the cheap one  
Lookin' at me son  
You ain't lookin' at free  
_

 _I ain't the dish rag to come clean up all the shit that you dish out_

Shinsuke Nakamura stands before a mirror, taking a good look at the eccentric electricity lining his incredibly optimistic soul.

 _Ain't got no check for 'em, if you checkin' in  
Motherfucka, check this out_

After a quick smile of self-satisfaction, and an even quicker wink, Nakamura kicks the mirror into a thousand little shards, just for the hell of it.

…

For the first time of the day, the three Dazzlings stand together again, with Adagio Dazzle standing first, as well as Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk standing by her sides, as they make their way through a hallway of the building.

 _Ain't much I can do but I do what I can  
But I'm not a fool, there's no need to pretend_

However, despite still being together as a trio of darkness, there is still some tension from the day before, with Aria's lashing out at the other two. Between the three, Sonata is the only one of them to not be in the tournament.

 _And just because you got yourself in some shit  
Doesn't mean I have to come deal with it_

Clad in her leather jacket and black jeans still, Sunset Shimmer strolls through casually, with a shopping cart in tow – no idea where exactly it came from, she only found it sitting around. Probably left over by a fan from a previous endeavor in the Staples Center.

She's collecting whatever she can find to use as a weapon; a camera tripod, leftover chairs, wooden planks (some having a nail sticking out), whatever can make people bleed, for the sake of trying to get an edge in the competition. Even though she hasn't stepped into a ring, she's seen a few shows herself, so she has _some_ experience, albeit only from memory.

 _You handle your own when you become a man_

Walking by her side, Star Butterfly helps out in finding more and more props to fit into the car, even throwing her wand in, and then eventually hopping in with enough elbow room left, just for fun.

 _And become a man when you handle your own_

The agent known only by the name Black Orchid grips her electric stun batons in both hands for a moment, taking in the deep and intimidating atmosphere that will set in during this tournament, in an attempt to boost her confidence and fearlessness in the competition.

She sheaths the batons back into their proper place, in the back of her boots, and heads for the exit of her room.

 _Ain't much I can do, but I do what I can  
But what can I do if I do 'till it's gone?_

Still having kept the garbage can that he was tossing around the night before, New Jack lugs the tin prop over his shoulder in one hand, while wearing the claw-gauntlet in his other. The Original Gangsta, still standing and still crazy since his days of ECW.

 _(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh) 'Till it's gone...  
(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh) 'Till it's gone..._

Donning his open jacket, and leaving the warpaint behind for tonight, NXT World Champion Finn Balor heads into the ring, a different from that of NXT or of New Japan, with fellow NXT champion – NXT Women's Champion to be specific – Bayley by his side, having chosen to be with him at ringside tonight ( _mainly due to there being no remaining spots out of the 16 that were available for those willing to be in the tournament_ ).

 _(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh) 'Till it's gone...  
(Oh-oh-oh) What can I do if I do 'till it's gone?_

Giving absolutely no shits about any of the other competitors in the tournament, Kevin Owens stands confident, before rushing through the door.

 _( **Bang-bang-bang!** ) What a mess now_

Back to Reigns and Ambrose, who are beginning to approach the gorilla position of the arena, the corridor that leads _right_ into the arena.

 _I jump to the sky for my people  
I walk through the fire, I give love when it's equal  
_  
Slowly, the cast of colorful characters of near and far begin to group into one pack; the first are Sunset and Star, lugging the shopping cart around with them, to the right of and behind Ambrose, followed shortly after by Sherry, to the left of Reigns.  
 _  
Don't tell me not to complain about my money and fame  
When you come around me telling me I've changed  
Damn right, I've fuckin' changed!_

New Jack, garbage bin in tow, and Stone Cold, with a beer still in hand, catch up to the group next, walking to the left of Reigns and Ambrose.

 _When there's fuckin' change in my pocket, hit the bucket  
It was a rockin' all a sudden_

Balor and Bayley find their way into the pack, just a couple seconds before the King of Strong Style in Shinsuke Nakamura, as the three stand right behind Reigns and Ambrose.

 _I went from shoppin' without nothin'  
To going shoppin' with my cousins_

The next to be seen, the Dazzlings walk with purpose as a union, regardless of frustrations within the group. They don't stand very close to the rest, naturally as they're only relying on themselves to get through the game.

 _Now that the cops know that I'm buzzin'  
They wanna drop me in the oven_

prepared for war. The last of the crowd of competitors (excluding the three performers who have some kind of alignment with Paul Heyman), , budges through to the front to stand right in between Roman and Ambrose

 _Pull me over just to say "I'm a fan"  
Hip hop, you gotta love it (Fuck it...)_

Mr. Paul Heyman stands right behind the curtains of the entry-way, awaiting the fighters.

 _Ain't much I can do but I do what I can  
But I'm not a fool, there's no need to pretend_

Coming through a door to the left of Heyman, from another corridor leading into the arena's entry, Owens, Bryan and Lesnar arrive, standing alongside Heyman.

 _And just because you got yourself in some shit  
Doesn't mean I have to come deal with it_

"Packed house tonight, everyone." Paul mentions.

Dean looks a little baffled. _That's about 21 thousand out there, right?_ "...Uhh, sold out in _one night_?" Even while asking, the Lunatic Fringe can hear the cheering of thousands, almost muffled through the curtains.

"Surprised me, too, yes... but when it's a Paul Heyman production, it's kinda expected for the most part."

 _But what can I do if I do 'till it's gone?_

Heyman turns towards the curtains, as he prepares to walk through.

"Welcome to the new era, combatants; enjoy your stay!"

And then he walks through, and bright lights envelop the scene.

 _'Till it's gone..._

* * *

 **Holy christ, I actually wrote this so quickly (took about only a couple hours combined time spent on it). Guess it's because I had this intro scene thought out so clearly, especially with probably my favorite Yelawolf song (probably my _only_ favorite song from him thus far). Just made it easier to type through, I guess.**

 **Also, uh, Strawpoll!**  
 **(strawpoll-dot-me) /10788564**  
 **I've made a poll so the viewers (both guests and established users) can pick their favorite heading into the tournament. It won't affect the story, since I know who I'm planning to have win, but it'll be interesting to see who has the most fans behind them in the Tournament of Fate.**

 **Until next time... uhhh... 'Chocolate Drop'?**


	2. SHOW INTRO: Ladies and Gentlemen

**Act 2  
** _ **Ladies and Gentlemen**_

* * *

 _February 21, 2016  
Location: The Staples Center – Los Angeles, California  
Time: 7 PM_

Paul Heyman is right - the arena _is_ packed; packed with a crowd of 21 thousand residents, mostly those native to California, having decided to come to this arena, instead of heading to Ohio for WWE's next big event, mainly out of mild curiosity, as word got around, not only verbally spreading around the blocks, and onto the dirtsheets of the online wrestling world, but also on various social media sites about Heyman taking an absence from WWE to set something up for 'the fans who expect the best in wrestling'.

In the center of the arena, under only a few visible lights, lies a wrestling ring, a fairly plain ring; black ropes, a dark gray ring mat (much akin to NXT), simple stainless steel stairs ( _try saying that three times fast_ ), et cetera. Built almost exactly like how the WWE's rings are built, but without much of any designs on the turnbuckles or the ring aprons. Bland but serviceable, but it probably doesn't matter for the people in attendance, having been waiting for several minutes now for something to happen.

An entry ramp lines up to a stage, like usual in a wrestling show, up to a stage that doesn't look the best in terms of production values, but still looks good in a standard type of show; the stage consists of a large TitanTron-style screen, and a smaller ribbon-movie screen, and that's pretty much it; it looks like a WWE house-show kind of stage, and looks pretty small when you take into fact the 20+ thousands packed into this large arena.

One last item of significance: the commentary booth table. Yes, Heyman has indeed managed to enlist some announcing talents, three to be exact.

The first, sitting in the middle, is the most notable, perhaps the best commentator in the industry, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a... well, to a very interesting night, one that will leave many questions answered here in Los Angeles, California. I'm Good Ol' JR, Jim Ross, of WWE fame..."

Sitting to JR's right is also a very talented play-by-play commentator, who became famous thanks to Paul Heyman and Extreme Championship Wrestling, the exceptional Joey Styles.

"And I'm former ECW personality Joey Styles, glad to be back in the commentary booth, ready to call some action just like old times..."

The last of the three isn't as much of a big name, but has made a mark in several wrestling companies, both in the ring _and_ on commentary, the One-Man Crime Spree, Tazz.

"And last but not least, straight outta Brooklyn, this is the Human Podcast Machine, Tazz, and I am pretty damn excited to see what's gonna go down tonight!"

Once all three commentators have gotten their introductions out of the way, Jim Ross speaks again. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you've been catching social media since last night, you'll know that Paul Heyman, another notable name of WWE and ECW fame, much like us, has arranged for something _big_ , and is willing to bring it not just to the fans here in the Staples Center, sold out in just under a day, but to many thousands more watching _for free_ , live on the Twitch livestreaming website a first of potentially many more special events hosted by the Extreme Advocate himself!"

"I've gotta say, this is some risky business that Heyman is setting up," Joey Styles acknowledges, "but whatever risk he wants to take, we won't stop him. That's how ECW got off the ground, after all."

Then we go back to Jim Ross... "Fans watching this live, we've gotta take it straight to the ring right now; the show is _about_ to begin..."

Several more lights turn on around the arena, making it easier to see the ring in the middle, and the person standing in it, a former WWE ring announcer in Justin Roberts.

" **Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, the promoter of this special live broadcast... PAUL! HEYMAAAAAN!"**

 _("This Is Extreme" ~ Harry Slash/The Slashtones)_

The initial sound of the Extreme Championship Wrestling theme sparks a great reaction from the audience, as the formally dressed businessman emerges from the back.

"A grand ovation for the man who helped start many a career in ECW, has done even more in the WWE, and will perhaps be making more history tonight." proclaims Joey.

"One hell of a guy with a huge mindset." Tazz adds. "He knows what's up in the wrestling biz, and is a tough guy to keep down."

With a microphone in hand, Paul begins to speak to the fans.

"Ladies and gentlemen, _my name_ is Paul Heyman..."

The crowd follows along with his introduction, a great majority of them having memorized it a while back in the past.

Heyman continues, "...and I'd like to thank everyone here for finding the time tonight to come to Los Angeles to see what's in store, from the man who made 'Extreme' popular in the wrestling business."

He stops again, just to take in the cheers of thousands in support of him. A noticeable 'EC-Dub' chant breaks out for a moment, as Paul looks across the arena and lets the support soak in, before bringing the mic back up.

"As Good Ol' JR just mentioned, tonight _is_ going to be interesting. That's because tonight, what I have in store is much more than just an independent showing. With an arena of this size, expectations are higher than ever, so the people in the back and out here must deliver at all costs, and send the whole crowd home with smiles on their faces _all around the world._ "

The audience continues to cheer Paul on. He takes another beat to let the crowd keep going, before heading back into his speech.

"Of course, it would require a lot of commitment, a lot of undertaking, for any 'Average Joe' to round up some star power, some talent, to give a show that people will be able to discuss for the next few days onwards... ...But when you have a mind like mine, you tend to know a guy, or two... or a handful who are able to make it here tonight."

Before the next part of his promo, Heyman looks towards the stage, then back to the crowd with a growing smile.

" _In fact..._ they're all waiting back there, lying in wait, primed and ready go all out for _everyone_ here in California, and everyone else watching in the comfort of their own home!"

The crowd gradually gets louder as they anticipate whoever comes next, as Paul walks back toward the stage structure, and heads back through the curtains for just one moment.

 _("This Is Extreme" ~ Harry Slash/The Slashtones)_

The iconic ECW theme plays again, as Heyman begins to walk back down the stage, and down the ramp.

…

However, following just a couple feet behind him is the Beast Incarnate himself, Brock Lesnar, already looking dressed to compete, in his MMA shorts and gloves. The crowd is amazed, and get loud for the Suplex Master.

JR stammers on his own words as the sudden appearance of the Beast catches him off guard. "Oh my g—that—what?!"

Joey Styles is additionally surprised. "It's Brock Lesnar!"

Tazz is chortling in excitement. "Oh-ho man! Well, 'here comes the pain', fellas! Man, I missed sayin' that..."

It's only a few seconds after Lesnar makes his presence felt in the Staples Center that the other individuals in the back begin to pile out.

"Wait a minute..." Jim Ross points out, "There's more where that came from!"

The reaction of the onlookers gets all around the place. Most are absolutely ecstatic for the appearances of several of WWE's great stars of today and tomorrow, including Dean Ambrose, Finn Balor and Kevin Owens, _although the same we wish could be said unanimously about Roman Reigns_ , and then it's stacked by the admiration by the people who take notice of Stone Cold, D-Bry and Nakamura. Some don't even know what to think when it comes to the more obscure faces, even the ECW alumnus in New Jack, who is probably not the most familiar to this crowd, less so than in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Overwhelmed by the cast of characters before him, Joey is trying to look for words. "This is—this..."

" _Wow,_ " says Tazz, very fascinated by the group that Heyman has brought in.

Joey finally speaks. "When Paul Heyman talked about knowing some guys, I didn't expect so much from him!"

"You probably should've seen something like this comin', Joey." Tazz retorts. "I mean, you worked with him before."

"Even then, this is an unreal cast." Ross details. "I think it speaks for itself how much potential this show has, if I think I know where this is going."

Curious about how this is possible, Tazz asks, "So yeah, what, is—is this a WWE-backed thing, or is Paul really that good at landing gigs with these guys?"

Jim responds, "I highly doubt this is a WWE production, even with some of its workers enlisting themselves in this."

Over the sound of the commentators talking endlessly about this, the pack of characters follow Heyman into the ring. They stand as one group, almost like an army, as Paul stands in front, preparing to continue addressing the situation.

"Let me make one thing clear: I do respect the McMahon family, _to a degree._ While WWE and ECW have had to work together at times to deal with WCW during the age of the Monday Night Wars, we were still competition, and, under ECW, I still had to pave my way through to higher pastures, until it... eventually fell down. And even in WWE, while I was still given opportunities to express my creative vision... there weren't _enough_ opportunities I was given. That's how ECW was eventually reborn in 2005... and died once again five years later."

Another 'EC-Dub' chant can be heard. Just mentioning it can trigger the chant, it seems.

Paul continues. "Thankfully, a limit to how many chances you can get in a lifetime is non-existent, not when you know how to plan. You see, I've worked to attract these individuals behind me, enticing them with offers of redemption and opportunity. My plan is to help with the next evolution of wrestling, an evolution that started with companies like the lucha circuit of Lucha Underground entering the fray. I will follow what they've done... with a little pet project... called **Ultimatum Wrestling Underground**."

The crowd rise up in a cheer once this news is let out of the bag like a cat. One can hear a "U-Dub-U" chant already try to break through. With only a couple tens of people getting the chant down already, it's a good start to the initial fanbase. Paul continues with his speech...

"My first phase of this project is to decide which one of this colorful cast I have behind me will be the first to lead Ultimatum Wrestling Underground into its humble beginnings. That is why I am preparing a top prize for the winner of a tournament – a **Tournament of Fate** – to make the choice for me. An event spanning _2 days_ , featuring a 16-competitor tournament, consisting of just about everyone in this lineup that I've prepared, where one can be considered champion at the end of it. This is meant to bring out the best in what I have to offer here, and to further intensify the competition, I've set up one ground rule: for this tournament, I wanna have a throwback to the days of the Land of Extreme."

Heyman turns towards the competitors; this portion of what Heyman has to say is, for now, focused on them.

"I want to see **blood.** I wanna see you all at your most violent, so this Tournament of Fate, the entirety, _every match_ will be under **Extreme Rules**."

As the crowd gets loud once again, Heyman takes a few steps closer to the competitors, getting in their face as he authenticates the 'Extreme Rules' stipulation.

" _No disqualification – no count out – no holds barred – blood for blood – anything goes!_ In this building tonight, let's just say that in the Underground, we don't give a **shit** about the rules, because what's the point of rules when we can't truly _have fun_ with what we're doing when they're intact?"

The wide audience can't help but keep rooting on, letting the Advocate do what he does best on the microphone with his golden tongue.

"...Well, I can't say he's wrong..." JR admits.

Heyman continues once again, "Alright, so what have we covered? – I know some people, evolution of wrestling, Lucha Underground, blood for blood, et cetera-et cetera... Alright, let's just get this going right away, because the Tournament starts _right now_!"

And there goes the crowd, popping hard again. They're excited, and it shows in _spades_.

With all that having been said, Heyman scans across the band of combatants for a few moments, in a period of deep thought and consideration, before picking out one specific individual, standing in the front of the pack.

"Mr. Daniel Bryan… please step forward."

The bearded Washington athlete proceeds as asked and steps away from the group. Nothing but a great round of cheers all around, even evolving into a big 'YES' chant, in a huge standing ovation for the WWE/Ring of Honor superstar.

"The crowd is _ecstatic_ for this man, the man who lived one hell of a dream career." Jim Ross points out. "He's taking the next step in his career, tonight."

Heyman speaks to the Yes Movement leader... "Now, Daniel… people know you as a talented individual, one of the _best_ in-ring performers to step into the ring, especially the _WWE ring_. Even before then, you've fought tooth-and-nail through Ring of Honor, through Japan, through many different sides of the world. At one point, earlier this month, it seemed like your career was at an end... _and then it wasn't_. Tonight, you're being given a second chance, much like I've been able to give myself another chance to run a show of my own. Tell me, do you have any thoughts, now that you're here?"

Heyman stretches an arm out to let Bryan respond through the microphone.

"Honestly? My... my mind is just going all over the place right now," Daniel begins his response. "This opportunity was just given to me so suddenly... and when I heard I could get this one more chance to , I... I just took the chance. Anything to give everyone here the best in entertainment, in in-ring prowess."

With Daniel finished giving his thoughts, Heyman returns the mic to himself. "Yes, indeed, you did _take the chance_ ; the devotion to being a competitor in the squared-circle is just flowing through your veins, more so than ever. That is why, tonight, in the first day of the Tournament of Fate, I'm giving _you_ the first match of the night."

The crowd erupts in another Yes chant, already excited for the first match that's set to begin in just a moment.

"Nothing like starting off heavy with the Bearded Revolutionist!" Joey Styles notes.

Heyman continues, "And if I remember the brackets that we've set up before this show started, then your opponent has already been decided..."

Then he looks towards the other competitors besides Daniel Bryan, and he points out one of them in the far left, clad in red.

"...and your opponent is _that man!_ " Paul proclaims aloud. " _Shinsuke Nakamura!_ "

The King of Strong Style looks up with a engaged smile, as this Californian audience could not get any louder.

Shinsuke steps forwards, meeting eye-to-eye with Daniel Bryan, as the Yes chants keep going. The audience should be careful not to burn themselves out before the _first match_.

"What a development!" Jim Ross shouts. "What a great match set up to start us off!"

"That's _one_ way to make the crowd go nuts!" Tazz mentions.

Paul Heyman stands in between Nakamura and Bryan, as he proceeds to make a couple more statements.

"And since both of you men are already suited up to battle, I guess we won't have to wait. Thankfully, I've got a referee lined up, a referee that the fans might be quick to recognize; let's bring him out!"

Heyman gestures towards the stage in demand of a referee...

...and out comes the senior official of WWE and TNA fame, Earl Hebner, ready to call tonight's matches as best as he can.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's take this moment to welcome senior official Earl Hebner," Jim Ross points out. "I've already met up with this man in the back before the night started, but I haven't expected anything from him, so quite frankly, I'm glad to see him."

"It's been a while since Earl and I, we've been in the same building. And to come back with this match comin' up to deal with, it's gonna be a rocket-busta for sure." Tazz speaks, enthused with the referee selected by Heyman.

As the great majority of the superstars in the ring pile out to ringside and trot up the ramp, to leave Bryan and Nakamura in the ring together, Earl Hebner enters the ring, prepared in his black-and-white striped official's shirt, as the two exceptional competitors take opposite corners.

 **The bell is rung, and the match begins.**

* * *

 **...in the next chapter. Sorry, but it'll be a few days of writing (maybe one if I'm lucky) before one of the internet wrestling community's biggest wet-dream matches starts off.**

 **Who do you have as the one to win between the Flying Goat and the Strong Style Superstar?  
What other matches do you wanna see between the other 14 competitors in the tournament?  
Who do you want to win the whole thing overall?**

 **If you wanna answer these questions, you'll have to drop a review to give your thoughts, and maybe even check out the Strawpoll I've set up for this story! (strawpoll-dot-me/10788564/)**

 **Until next time. YeaOh!**


	3. R1: D-Bryan vs Shinsuke Nakamura part 1

**Tournament of Fate, Round 1  
Daniel Bryan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura  
 _Part 1_**

* * *

 **Fun fact: According to the _Internet Wrestling Database_ , Bryan and Nakamura have only been involved on opposite sides of a match three times, in New Japan in 2004. This was way back before Shinsuke became the King of Strong Style, and Bryan Danielson donned the masked persona American Dragon, so this match in the Tournament of Fate will be the first legitimate match between the two as they are now. However, since this is a fictional story, it doesn't really count in real-life, but it's really crazy when you think about it.**

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the first of many interesting match-ups set up for tonight..."

Fresh off the ring of the bell, and off Jim Ross' commentary, Bryan and Nakamura take their time to get situated into the match, with the bearded Daniel taking a standard fighting stance, while Shinsuke is a lot more casual with his positioning, stepping away from his corner. He's basically fueled with 'swagger'. _Not to be confused with the All-American American._

"The Tournament of Fate's matches will be one-fall to a finish. No disqualifications or count-outs, as Heyman said," Jim Ross continues. "Every match tonight and the next night will be under Extreme Rules."

"Given the type of match an Extreme Rules match usually is, these two guys seem like they don't even _need_ weapons." Joey Styles mentions. "Even then... if it means getting the W, and the bragging rights over your opponent, desperation to _achieve_ that can take its toll."

Bryan and Nakamura step closer to the middle of the ring, with Bryan perhaps vying for a collar-to-elbow tie-up with the Japanese fighter. It doesn't seem like Nakamura is going for the same idea...

...instead, he holds a hand out to Bryan, the other behind his back, most likely offering a pre-match handshake before they really get into the action.

JR notes, "Oh, a little nod to the Code of Honor, I see..."

Then Tazz says, "Hey, if he wants to show a little respect, that's fine by me."

After a brief moment to think, as the crowd relaxes in order to focus, Daniel Bryan accepts the handshake. Chuckling to himself, Shinsuke winks back...

...and reels Bryan in for a swift roundhouse kick that doesn't connect, as Daniel dodges it, rolling right into the corner that Shinsuke started at. The crowd is tossed back, almost like a sudden rush of wind being thrown at their face, as a result of the sudden escalation.

Joey Styles is similarly caught by surprise. "Whoa!"

"Oh lord! … That was a … a very rough attempt at luring Daniel Bryan into that kick!" Jim Ross proclaims.

Daniel is momentarily startled from the strong-style trap set by the New Japan superstar, who laughs, amused and satisfied with the attempted surprise attack he brought onto the Aberdeen resident. The crowd applauds for a moment, before returning to focus.

Not willing for himself nor his opponent to hold back in this bout, Nakamura beckons Bryan to bring it on. Bryan responds by charging at the opponent with a rushing shout and a leg extended out for a running kick, almost a clothesline-style kick, that Shinsuke ducks under, managing to find a position looking away, behind Daniel. Shinsuke curves a leg back around with a back kick of his own, attempting to connect with the back of Bryan's head, but Bryan ducks it himself.

With a brief discus spin, Bryan jumps for a leaping clothesline/elbow strike, but Shinsuke evades it, causing Bryan to slam into the top right set of turnbuckles. Shinsuke wraps around the vulnerable technician, throwing himself and Bryan back with a German suplex attempt that Bryan leaps out of, landing on his feet and attempting a suplex of his own, a Dragon suplex.

While Bryan managed to lift Shinsuke up and over, he doesn't fully connect, as Nakamura gets an arm around Bryan's neck. He transitions out of that position, and jumps up, bending his legs, as he brings Daniel Bryan down with a double-knee backbreaker.

"Backstabber, shades of superstars such as Carlito of the Colon family!" Jim Ross mentions.

With Bryan taken down from the backstabber, Shinsuke tries to keep him grounded on the ring mat with a small but simple knee drop, but Bryan rolls away, and onto the ring apron. Shinsuke grabs the ropes and slides out for a baseball-slide dropkick, but Bryan pulls himself out of the way to avoid the kick.

As both Nakamura and Bryan get up to their feet, it's only a few seconds longer before they begin trading rough elbow strikes, with one trying to knock the other down. Managing to get a few extra strikes in, Bryan gets the advantage, knocking Nakamura on his ass. This gives Bryan the space to springboard off the ropes, for a huge jumping clothesline. The springboard attack goes as planned, _up_ until the strike making contact.

Instead of getting knocked down, Nakamura catches Bryan, albeit nearly dropping him, and lifts him up and over with a T-Bone suplex. Bryan bounces from the suplex toss and rolls out of the ring and drops down to the floor with a thud.

"Daniel Bryan, flinging himself _all over_ the place," says Joey, "to the point where he's been tossed out of the ring!"

"Take all the time that you need! There's no penalty for staying out there for long!" Tazz tells Bryan.

Daniel spends his time outside trying to recover, to get back on his feet, and re-plan for this match before returning to the ring; he's been caught very off guard from the speed and strength of the King of Strong Style, and he's bound to come up with a strategy to get an advantage over Shinsuke Nakamura.

Shinsuke steps out to the ring apron, not really having the patience to let Daniel Bryan sit out at ringside and waste precious time.

He is very abruptly tripped when Daniel manages to spring up and sweep Shinsuke's legs out from under him, causing him to scramble down and slam into the ring apron.

Daniel then grabs Nakamura before he could fall the whole way down to the ground, and locks in a front necklock, preparing for a vertical suplex on the outside. Nakamura responds, and reverses, by kneeing Daniel in the gut several times, and turns the hold around in his favor for a suplex of his own. Mid-lift, Daniel kicks around for a moment, forcing himself back down.

Attempt #2, Daniel Bryan manages to lift Shinsuke up...

...and slam him down onto the ring apron with a painful-looking vertical suplex. His legs briefly bouncing off the ropes, Nakamura tumbles off the ring apron and crashes down to ringside.

Tazz groans, "Ohhh man!"

"The ring apron is _not_ the softest place to land! It's surely a good spot to cause damage, though," says Joey.

With Nakamura left stinging from the suplex, Bryan forces himself over his opponent, going for the pin right against the side of the apron. Senior referee Earl Hebner slides over to the apron to count the pin.

 **1! 2—Nakamura kicks out just before 2.**

"Kickout! By default, with this Extreme Rules stipulation, falls count anywhere in the arena!" Jim Ross points out.

With the kick-out attempt out of the way, Bryan lifts Nakamura up by his arms, planning to bring the action back into the ring.

However, Nakamura grabs Bryan by the head, and slams his face down onto the ring apron. Nakamura then forces Bryan's body into the ring, following him in as he takes a position over him.

Bryan shields his head and neck area to block away any and all elbows and punches that Nakamura throws down. Nakamura, putting some of his MMA training to good use, as he tries to wear down Bryan's body and head, before working on the arms, especially Bryan's right arm, stretching it out and pushing a knee down on it.

Jim Ross' commentary continues, "Nakamura is wearing down Bryan, trying to tear him down peg by peg in this match."

"Nothing like a little MMA with your wrestlin'; it's as interesting a combination as strawberry and chocolate!" Tazz quips, as Nakamura tries a few different variants of armbars on Daniel Bryan's right arm.

Referee Hebner keeps a close eye on Bryan, trying to be sure that Bryan doesn't give up that easily. That most definitely rings true, as Daniel begins to break out of the varied wear-down holds, with a few blunt kicks to Shinsuke's back.

Eventually, both Nakamura and Bryan rise to their feet, with Nakamura tossing Bryan over with an arm-drag/hip toss throw, setting him free from the holds.

Acting defensive in this point of the match, Daniel Bryan keeps Nakamura at bay with a few kicks to the thighs and stomach, when Nakamura tries to approach him.

It's at this point that the crowd has broken out in a dual-chant, with one side going "DAN-IEL BRY-AN!" and the other going "NA-KA-MU-RA!" back and forth. This audience is most definitely split, as the entire arena most definitely loves both men almost equally.

Rushing into the ropes, Bryan grabs onto Shinsuke by the arm, and whips him into the ropes across the ring. However, Nakamura clings onto the ropes on the other side of the ring, leaving Daniel Bryan to hit nothing but air with a dropkick. In the middle of Bryan standing up, Shinsuke rushes forward with a kick to the face. With Bryan down, Shinsuke tries for a stomp that Bryan evades quickly.

Bryan attempts to tackle Nakamura down, but Nakamura keeps him held down, rotating around a bit to try to level themselves around to the center of the ring.

After a moment to think within the front necklock he got himself stuck into, Daniel Bryan gets back into the top of things by throwing Nakamura across with a Northern Lights suplex, getting in a quick pin.

 **1! Nakamura kicks out.**

JR says, "Quick kick-out from Nakamura..."

Daniel has the proper amount of strength to keep himself wrapped around Shinsuke, as he stands both himself and Shinsuke up. Transitioning from the Northern Lights position, Bryan heads into a front necklock position, perhaps going for a guillotine choke. However, there isn't enough time to be sure if that was his plan, as Nakamura forces Bryan into the top right corner of the ring, and then lifts him up onto his shoulders.

"Uh-oh! What could he be thinkin' here?" Tazz wonders, as Nakamura keeps Daniel up in the Samoan Drop position.

With the tide turning both ways over and over, Bryan once again begins to get momentum, as he wiggles around, keeping Nakamura's stance unsteady. Soon enough, Nakamura heads across the ring, to the ropes facing towards the stage, and the end result is Daniel hopping off over to the ropes, his legs wrapped around Nakamura's head and neck, as they are both forced over the top rope, the bearded Yes Movement leader dragging the King of Strong Style with him as they topple and tumble out of the ring and onto the padded flooring of the ringside area.

Joey Styles proclaims, "And up and over, and there they go!"

"Crash and burn go the both of them!" Tazz shouts.

Jim Ross comments, "This competitive match is going all over the place! Once again, Daniel Bryan and Shinsuke Nakamura go to the outside!"

For a good minute following, Earl Hebner looks down as Bryan and Nakamura struggle to get to their feet.

Grabbing onto the ring apron, Bryan uses the leverage of the ring to slowly rise back up, and regain his footing. He keeps the pace as he slides into the ring. The next plan of action is not yet known, as Daniel grabs the ropes to help himself back up.

"Daniel Bryan back in the ring... what's he gonna do next?" Jim Ross asks.

"He needs to do something big soon, to keep up the momentum." Joey Styles says.

Surveying the ringside area, especially where Shinsuke is pulling himself up with help from the ring apron, Daniel stares down at him, and then takes a moment to listen to the Yes chants rising, as he has the viewing audience in his favor. Joining in on the Yes chants momentarily, pointing upwards, Daniel Bryan pumps up, putting all the stamina he has to good use as he bounces back and forth around the ring, trying to get extra speed for his next maneuver.

Once he dashes across the ring, toward the ropes before the ramp, with enough speed, Daniel fires off like a missile with a suicide dive through the ropes...

...only for Nakamura to jump up and block the impact with a black, stainless steel chair, as Bryan flies head-and-elbow first into the prop. Both men end up crashing to the ground once again, Daniel having taken more damage than Nakamura as a result of the suicide dive attempt.

JR shouts, " **Ohhh!** "

"Oh my god, that was a rough landing!" Joey proclaims. "Nakamura, trying to use that chair as a shield against the 'Flying Goat' suicide dive attempt!"

"He was—he was _trying_ to avoid taking all of the impact, he was trying to absorb the impact with something _hard,_ " Tazz details. "I see where he was goin' with the—he had a smart plan, but even then, both men are hurt, both men are down..."

The question that the commentators, and everyone else watching, right now is, who's got the most momentum on their side following this?

 _To be continued..._

* * *

… **I don't really have much to say here at the end, except... stay tuned for part 2 of the match.**

 **Until next time.**


	4. R1: D-Bryan vs Shinsuke Nakamura part 2

**Tournament of Fate, Round 1  
Daniel Bryan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura  
 _Part 2_**

* * *

Daniel Bryan and Shinsuke Nakamura are both down at ringside, Bryan having just collided with a steel chair in Nakamura's hands, Nakamura trying to protect himself in turn. The dual-chants between "Daniel Bryan!" and "Nakamura!" begin again as both men take their time to recover.

Daniel feels around his head, trying to mend any wounds that may have sprouted up as a result of the suicide dive gone wrong.

"Daniel Bryan has... has gotta be careful here," Tazz alerts. "He's already been through some—some concussion business back in the WWE; that's what initially killed his career there. I don't think he wants that to happen here."

Shinsuke clings onto the steel stairs just north of where they laid from the dive attempt, helping himself up, back up to his feet before Daniel could. Charging up an attack of some ferocity, awaits for the point where Daniel has gotten back up.

As soon as Daniel is back on his own two feet, charges forward, kicking high, perhaps for a quick **Boma Ye**...

...but Bryan ducks it, running around and underneath Shinsuke, lifting him up into an electric chair position, almost Doomsday Device-style.

"And Daniel dodges the incoming attack!" Joey proclaims. "Perhaps Nakamura was looking to end things with the Boma Ye—ohh!"

As Joey shouts, Bryan dashes backwards with Nakamura on his shoulders, and sends him crashing, tumbling over the steps. On the minus side, Bryan took the risk, as some of his back made some contact with the steel steps as a result, in the attempt to buck Nakamura off.

With his opponent out of the way for the moment, Daniel grabs the steel chair lying just a couple feet away, and takes it with him as he slides back into the ring.

"Daniel Bryan, always planning, always thinking for ways to get an advantage over the opponent," Jim Ross mentions.

Nakamura doesn't take very long to recover from the tumble over the stairs, as he uses the apron for leverage for himself to get up and get on the apron. Daniel steps forward with the chair in hand, planning to drive it into the gut of Shinsuke, but Shinsuke reverses it on him, forcing the chair into the stomach of its holder. With Bryan bent over, Shinsuke hops over the top rope, rolling Daniel around along with him with a sunset flip, for a quick pinfall.

 **1! 2—On 2, Nakamura breaks the pinfall...**

...in order to get off of Daniel's legs, and transition towards his right arm, setting up and completing an interesting transition into a cross armbar as he wraps around Daniel's right arm with much ease.

"Nakamura breaks up the sunset flip pin, and there—there we go, heading into a cross armbar!" Joey Styles calls.

"A very seamless transition from pinfall to submission, almost trying his best here to keep this submission expert in Daniel Bryan down at all times," Jim Ross says.

Referee Earl Hebner stands over the two competitors as Daniel struggles in the submission hold for a fairly stressful period of time. He shows some durability in keeping himself composed during the cross armbar, most likely because he's already experienced this submission hold numerous times before, notably with guys like Alberto Del Rio in the WWE ring.

After what was close to a minute, almost about 40 seconds, of Nakamura staying locked in, devoted to this submission for the time being, Daniel begins to power over him, standing up and leveling over him. For a brief moment, Shinsuke's shoulders end up pinned on the ring mat, letting Earl Hebner count a quick 1, before Daniel adjusts precariously, not wanting to end the match so suddenly and through such accidental means.

Daniel lets loose several kicks to the left shoulder and temple of Shinsuke, not stopping for a few seconds longer until the cross-armbar submission falls apart and Shinsuke breaks away, staying grounded while Bryan stands tall for the moment. The match's momentum is firmly in Bryan's hands.

Taking his time to mend his wounds and bruises, Shinsuke slowly rises up to his knees. From there, Daniel has him perfectly set up as a 'kicking bag' of sorts, as he continues to strike him down with perfectly planned kicks to the chest. The crowd goes along with it, as usual, with a "YES!" accompanying each successful kick.

After about seven consecutive kicks, Daniel Bryan winds up for the eighth, aiming for the head, as the crowd vocally rises in anticipation. The leg swings...

...and misses; Shinsuke ducks, causing Daniel to spin around as a result of the miss. As soon as Daniel turns back to look face to face with Shinsuke, the 'Supernova' superstar gets him lifted up onto his shoulders...

...and slams him down, back first into the mat, with the Landslide!

"The Samoan driver! The landslide!" Jim Ross proclaims.

"That laid the hell outta Daniel, but I don't think Shinsuke's done just yet!" says Tazz.

All the momentum that Daniel Bryan had the past minute has completely jumped ship to Shinsuke Nakamura's state of mind, as he springs up from the Landslide, pumped and electrified. He stumbles into the top left corner as his legs begin to quake, almost becoming unhinged with excitement and electricity.

He lets out a booming battle scream into the Heavens, as the crowd braces themselves for his next attack. They know what comes next for the opponent, when Shinsuke Nakamura gets to this point, and in this position.

Daniel Bryan is just about getting back up, on one knee at the moment, as Nakamura runs forward, ready and willing to drive a knee into Daniel's skull to end the match...

...only for Daniel to use leverage to hop over Nakamura, causing him to slam into the bottom left turnbuckles. Circling all around Nakamura, bouncing around the ropes, Daniel wraps an arm around Nakamura's neck, springing off the ropes a couple more times...

...before slamming Shinsuke down head-first with a DDT!

"Bryan spinning all _over the place_ , and what a DDT!" JR proclaims.

"Jesus Christ, that was quite a landing!" Joey shouts.

Immediately off the DDT, Daniel holds onto one of Shinsuke's arms, wrapping his legs around it as he locks him into the crossface that he has deemed the 'Yes Lock'. The crowd could not get more on Daniel's side at this moment. The commentators also begin to get _really_ into it at this point as well.

First, JR. "Oh! The Yes Lock!"

Then Tazz. "Holy shit, man! The Yes Movement's taking over again!"

Joey ends up last out of the three. "Oh my god, how seamless can you _get_ from those moves?!"

Bryan pulls on Nakamura's head and neck with all his might, refusing to let go of the submission hold unless the King of Strong Style truly gives up, passes out, whatever can confirm a win for Bryan. Even with Earl Hebner close by, ready to ring the bell if necessary ( _at least, at this point of his career_ ), there isn't a guarantee that Nakamura will tap out, given the experience, the star power, the talent and the strength of the New Japan Pro Wrestling veteran, the man who was known as the "Super Rookie" fourteen years ago.

"Daniel Bryan is desperate for the victory!" says Joey Styles.

"The Yes Lock has taken down many superstars in the past; will it end Nakamura here tonight?" Jim Ross questions.

Minutes begin to pass by just from the two established technical competitors staying on both sides of the Submission hold, with little transitioning or reversing. At some point, however, Nakamura gets a hand gripped onto the ropes; not to break the hold, due to Extreme Rules matches nullifying the ability to break a pin or submission by simply touching the ropes, but more so to try and force momentum onto himself to escape the submission.

…

…Shinsuke's getting closer to escaping the Yes Lock...

…

…

...Still no sign of tapping out...

…

...and all of a sudden, Shinsuke throws Bryan over his shoulder with the free hand, and they both go tumbling back out to ringside.

"Whoa!" Joey is caught off-guard. "All of a sudden, Shinsuke... just _manages_ to escape!"

Tazz is baffled how that happened. "How the hell did he do that?!"

With both men down outside of the ring, Shinsuke lies closer to the ring apron. With the stamina he still has left, Shinsuke crawls underneath the apron for a moment, leaving Daniel behind...

...and pushes out a wooden table from underneath the ring.

Joey knows what's up. "Uh-oh..."

And so does JR. "I think Shinsuke wants to double his chances, double the damage, for the sake of getting one over Daniel..."

Nakamura carries the table with both arms, lifts it up and pushes it into the ring, slowly getting back in, a bit fatigued but still having enough power to get the match going for just a bit longer.

By the time Daniel is on his feet and just about to enter the ring, Shinsuke already has the table standing up on its legs near the top left corner of the ring, potentially wanting the match to end involving the table.

As soon as Bryan slides into the ring, Shinsuke stomps down on him again and again, keeping him from fully getting up in the ring. After that, Shinsuke stays put, and lets Bryan get a chance to stand up, which he does, taking his time as Shinsuke keeps his space from Bryan.

As soon as Daniel Bryan is standing up, at the bottom right corner, Nakamura dashes forward, jumping up for a potential kick or knee to the face...

...only for Shinsuke to be caught, as Daniel transitions into carrying Nakamura in a powerbomb position. He runs across the ring with Shinsuke on his shoulders...

…and throws him down into the table, shattering it and destroying the wood.

"Both Shinsuke, and the table, go crashing!" Joey Styles calls. "Powerbomb through the table!"

Shinsuke rolls backwards from the impact, wincing in pain as he holds his back...

... _just_ before Daniel rams a knee into Nakamura's face, spiking him into the top left corner!

"The running knee!" JR shouts.

Tazz adds, "The knee that needs no name!"

Shinsuke rolls out of the corner, over the remains of the table, as Daniel jumps in for the pin. Earl Hebner is in position...

 **1! 2! 3!**

Surprisingly, it only takes one of Daniel's signature knees to end this match, and given the physicality of the match, it makes some sense.

 _("Flight of the Valkyries" - Jim Johnston)_

Ring announcer Justin Roberts is on stand-by, next to the time keeper.

" **The winner of this round-one match..."**

Earl Hebner raises Daniel Bryan's left arm to confirm the victory.

" **...Daniel Bryan!"**

"And he has made it past his first roadblock to the return of his career!" Jim Ross proclaims. "He's advanced through the first round of the Tournament of Fate!"

"Oh man," says Tazz, "if a match like that is starting the tournament off tonight, then I'm excited as hell!"

"Daniel Bryan is back in the saddle!" Joey Styles declares. "His career has evolved to a new stage, one where there's absolutely _no_ holding him back!"

Shinsuke Nakamura sits by in the corner near the table, defeated, as Daniel Bryan leads the entire crowd in another Yes chant, pointing upwards with all the might he has left after that match.

After about a minute longer of a standing ovation for the bearded leader of a revolution, Bryan looks off towards Nakamura in the corner, and, after a moment of thought, he steps towards the King of Strong Style.

…

He offers a hand to Shinsuke...

"Even through this match... it looks like these guys are still willing to respect each other." Joey Styles mentions.

After looking across the crowd, Shinsuke nods...

...and accepts Daniel's hand, getting helped up to his feet as they shake hands and bump shoulders. Respect has been earned between both of these men.

Daniel Bryan's music continues as Nakamura leaves the ring with his head held high, even when still wounded from the battle they've finished just moments ago.

"Fans in the arena, viewers online, wherever you are, be sure to stay tuned..." Jim Ross tells the varied audience. "We have a lot more in store, a lot more from the mind of Paul Heyman coming up soon!"

Joey Styles follows up on JR's commentary, "The Tournament of Fate, the precursor to Paul Heyman's Ultimatum Wrestling Underground, will be continuing with no commercial interruptions! The next match will come in just a moment!"

The cameras in the arena, recording the broadcast, focus around the arena as they are wrapped around the victorious Daniel Bryan's finger.

* * *

 **The next match will be revealed next chapter, in the first interlude between matches. Not much else to say except pick your favorite to win the match, predict what might happen if you want, maybe even vote in the Strawpoll I set up ( _it's also on my profile page, too_ ) if you haven't already.**

 **Favorite, follow, review, whatever you're comfortable with.  
Woo-woo-woo, until next time!**


	5. INTERLUDE A: The Fuck Is A Bracketology?

**Interlude A  
** _ **The Fuck Is A Bracketology?**_

 **The sequence of the interludes will usually involve the backstage musings of some of the Tournament of Fate's competitors, along with maybe other characters, such as the Authority and Heyman/Cueto, and, for the most part, will usually end with the entrances of the two competitors in the next match in the tournament (and maybe stuff that occurs just before the bell rings), so that the next chapter will start with the match going on from the get-go.**

 **This chapter will reveal a couple of the matches for later in the Tournament, besides the one match set to happen after Bryan vs. Nakamura.**

 _ **By the way, yes, there will be non-tournament matches, but they're only going to be on Day 2 where the semi-finals and finals will only take up three matches.**_

* * *

"Hey, Rome… over here..."

Reigns walks up to where Ambrose stands. "What's up?"

"Think they got the whole tournament shit put together." Dean gestures forward, at the wall in front of them.

Hung up precisely before them is a large board, a diagram of the entire single-elimination Tournament of Fate, showing the brackets in full detail, with names and portraits of the competitors set in place, set in stone. So far, the only detail seen ahead besides the first round matchups, is Daniel Bryan's name jumping ahead to the Round 2 brackets, past Shinsuke Nakamura.

"They got a pretty fuckin' good bracket going on there." Dean compliments the diagram. Then he looks near the bottom. "Although for some reason it's called a... ' _bracketology'?_ The **fuck** is a bracketology?"

Reigns rolls his shoulders back. "It's—it's a basketball tournament thing, don't worry about it."

Ambrose stares back, a little vexed. "... _Yeah_. Problem is this isn't basketball, dude."

"Does it really matter, Dean?"

"...To me at least. I'm called a lunatic for a reason, Rome; my mind's a little fucked up sometimes, and I get a little peeved at shit sometimes. Sometimes guys ask me if I have OCD. Fuck those guys, man."

Roman shakes his head, willing to get back to looking at the brackets. "Let's... let's just look at the tournament, Dean; at least we got some good opponents."

"You sure about that, dude? I mean, if I'm gonna have to face Orchid, you're gonna at least need to give me some advice based on how you fought her. At least, I assume, from so far away it could've been anything..."

"Didn't fight her for long. All I can say is she's fast... that, and don't piss her off too much before the match."

"Yeah... I don't hold any promises. They also call me **the Titty Master** for a reason."

Reigns gets a look that comes across his face, almost reading as " _What the fuck?_ " with how absurd Dean's statement came across as.

After an awkward silence, Ambrose gets back to focusing on the bracket. "So, Scorpion, huh? Think you can handle him?"

"If it's anything like the games, it's... probably gonna be a pretty tough battle."

"No controller... hopefully no problem. Besides, I'm a little worried because... I'm... just _half_ -expecting him to nearly burn the whole building down."

Roman easily stifles his laughter. "I doubt it."

"And if... we end up both winning, it's to just agree that... may the best man win."

"A-fuckin-men." Roman and Dean bump fists for good luck, nodding and smiling.

Good feelings all around, a lot of confidence and barely any pressure, coming from the former members of the Shield, even when knowing their opponents.

* * *

 _Returning to the arena..._

The lights have returned to the dimness from the beginning of the night, to await for the next bout's entrants to arrive.

 _("I Won't Do What You Tell Me" - Jim Johnston)_

The shattered glass sounding off sparks a sense of nostalgia in this modern crowd, that spring up and cheer in respect for the man coming out right now.

The Texas Rattlesnake in Steve Austin arrives on the scene, prepared in his entrance vest to wrestle, although it looks as if he's more so entering a street fight, as instead of the simple black trunks, he's wearing a pair of knee-length denim shorts, which gives off more of a brawler vibe than usual, almost a CZW-style look.

Justin Roberts declares to the crowd... **"The following is the next 1st round match in the Tournament of Fate, contested under Extreme Rules! Introducing first, from Victoria, Texas, weighing in at 252 pounds, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin!"**

Jim Ross speaks first for the commentating team. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, it looks like we might have ourselves the next match of the evening, and one of the participants is a legend himself, the Attitude Era all-star, Steve Austin!"

Tazz lists the Rattlesnake's accomplishments "Multi-time WWE Champion, multi-time Royal Rumble winner, Million Dollar title holder, Intercontinental Champion, King of the Ring winner, Tag champion, Hall of Famer, he's done just about everything!"

"He was also, at one point, a part of Extreme Championship Wrestling." Joey Styles notes. "It didn't last long."

"Not to mention World Championship Wrestling, as part of the Hollywood Blondes," JR added, "and that company, much like ECW, didn't expect Steve Austin to become a draw in the business. Well, look at him now..."

At this point, Austin is in the ring firing up the crowd, standing on each of the four corners with arms raised. There's no doubt about it, the Texas Rattlesnake is back and potentially might be better than ever. Now to find out his opponent, his first opponent in this in-ring return.

 _("Next Big Thing" - Jim Johnston)_

Suddenly, the mood goes from 'nostalgia excitement' to 'oh shit, this is gonna be brutal', as the sudden growl of the guitar keeps the fans on their feet. Even Stone Cold in the ring looks a bit surprised, especially given the controversy between himself and his opponent from way back. He stares straight at the stage...

Brock Lesnar, geared and gloved for a brawl, lumbers out, staring straight at the ring, and at Stone Cold standing in the center. Oddly enough, he isn't accompanied by Paul Heyman, which is a given, since Paul is certainly busy in the back.

Justin Roberts continues, **"...and his opponent, residing from Maryfield, Saskatchewan, Canada... weighing in at** _ **286**_ **pounds... he is the** _ **BEAST**_ **Incarnate... Brock! LESNAR!"**

"And all of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, so abruptly, everything has taken a turn, when the Beast in Brock Lesnar arrives." Jim Ross speaks, completely serious.

"For the legit first time tonight, and certainly for Stone Cold... here comes _the pain_!" Tazz loudly proclaims. "Never gets old, I gotta tell ya..."

"He's one of only a few men to have taken both the wrestling industry and the mixed-martial-arts industry by storm. Accomplishing both the WWE and UFC championships, Brock is not just a man... he's an anomaly!" Joey Styles mentions.

Austin stays put in the ring as the Beast approaches ringside, eyes glued onto the Rattlesnake.

"While these two have encountered each other, brawled with each other in the ring in the past, they have never competed against each other in a legitimate one-on-one match." Joey denotes.

"Holy crap; this feels like a night of dream matches so far!" Tazz excitedly proclaims.

At this point, Brock has jumped onto the ring apron, still focused towards his opponent. He enters the ring, and both he and Stone Cold engage in a silent but intense pre-match staredown. The audience is anticipating the best due to the atmosphere, in an environment that is able to bring them this battle, and the previous one featuring Daniel Bryan and Shinsuke Nakamura, something which WWE is practically incapable to doing due to circumstances.

Just moments before the bout can officially begin, Steve Austin takes the time to taunt the Beast the only way that he likes: flipping the double-bird. The crowd naturally 'ohhhh's, feeling a bit of the burn that the middle fingers tend to spread.

"Ah yes, the good ol' double 'fuck-you' salute." Joey says. "...I can say that here, right?"

"We're streaming live on the web, so yeah, why not?" Tazz replies.

Getting into the ring after the competitors, Earl Hebner has Lesnar and Austin back away, so that he can officially get the match started with the ring of the bell.

 _In just mere seconds, the live-viewing audience will get one hell of a brawl..._

* * *

 **So yeah, there's quite a few matches set up for the Tournament of Fate already discussed, having been confirmed.**

 **Dean Ambrose vs. Black (B.) Orchid  
Roman Reigns vs. Scorpion  
And currently up next, Brock Lesnar vs. Steve Austin (which I think I'm gonna be able to fit into one chapter unlike Bryan vs. Nakamura)**

 **Can someone say 'Dream Match City', bitch?  
… Heh... uh, until next time.**


	6. R1: Stone Cold vs Brock Lesnar

**Tournament of Fate, Round 1  
Brock Lesnar vs. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin**

 **So yeah, to recap on the Lesnar/Austin business: Austin walked out on WWE because he didn't want to simply put over Lesnar on free TV (and yet Hogan did the job just fine on SmackDown). The closest to action between the two have been during the first few months of 2004, with Brock F5ing Austin on Raw, then brawling with him on SmackDown days before WrestleMania XX, and then taking a Stunner at Mania after the disaster of Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg. Now that Brock is close to, if not already established as a top star in the wrestling industry, it doesn't really seem to matter at this point with who beats who; it's going to be a wild battle no matter who wins.**

* * *

Immediately after the bell sounds off, Lesnar and Austin engage in a collar-and-elbow tie-up, roughly forcing each other around the ring, with such a topsy-turvy irresolution to determine who has the starting momentum over their opponent.

"We've waited almost 14 years for a match like this." Joey states. "How thankful are the people in attendance to be seated in this arena, witnessing this live?"

After about 20 to 30 seconds of the power struggle, Stone Cold manages to get Brock into the bottom left corner of the ring, where they slowly break it off.

Austin then suddenly goes for a kick to the gut, to get Brock into the position for the mudhole-stomping, but the foot is caught almost immediately by the Beast...

...who twists Steve around, grappling from behind, for an attempt at the first German suplex of the match, into the turnbuckle. Typical strategy from Lesnar, relying on mostly suplexes to wear down the opponent. If it worked for Cena, it could work here with Stone Cold.

A foot high off the ring canvas, Austin jabs at Lesnar's face with a few elbows, forcing him to release him from the from-behind hold. Turning back around, the Texan clocks Brock with a few choice punches to the side of the head, back into the corner, and tries wearing him down with a few shoulder thrusts. However, after shoulder thrust #5, Brock catches Austin...

...lifting him up, legs draped over shoulders...

...and he sends him across the ring with a mean powerbomb, sending a minor shockwave through the ring mat for a brief few seconds from the impact.

Tazz grunts, feeling a little bit of the impact. "Oof! A powerbomb like that, this early into the match, will not help his favors."

Casually walking ahead, Lesnar attempts to pick Austin back up for another move...

...but the Rattlesnake instead begins to rush into Lesnar, almost trying to tackle him down, sending the both of them into the ropes. Lesnar ends up having to force Stone Cold out of the ring, casually tossing him through the ropes, and letting him spiral out to the outside area.

"Austin gets sent out. His return match doesn't seem to be going his way." Jim Ross points out.

Lesnar laughs at Austin's current effort at this beginning part of the match, staring down at him, lying down outside of the ring.

Austin gets up onto one knee, before throwing the ring apron up and over and looking underneath the ring for something that can be considered an equalizer against the Beast Incarnate.

Lesnar begins to leave the ring to fish out Stone Cold on his own terms, when Austin jabs him in the gut with a stop sign pulled straight from underneath the ring, keeping him away for a few seconds longer. Austin manages to stay on his vertical base as he brings the big red and white sign into the ring with him as he enters.

Entering the ring, Austin basically slaps Brock across the face with the sign, fending him off again and again like a tamer against their lion. However, the lion bites back, as Brock grabs the sign on the next attack, and throws it off to the side, out of Austin's hands...

...and then suddenly and swiftly comes up behind Austin, lifting him up and slamming him down with the first German suplex of the bout. The crowd naturally shouts "1!" on the slam, wanting to keep count in the beginning of this Suplex City trip for Steve Austin.

"Oh! Denied!" Joey Styles proclaims, as Lesnar stands back up, still holding onto Stone Cold.

Brock tosses him over with another German suplex, this time landing right on the stop sign, wanting to deal more and more damage with each suplex. The crowd shouts "2!" at this, while the majority groans from the impact at the same time.

"And there's another one, this time on the stop sign!" JR says.

Stone Cold bounces off the metal sign, falling into the ropes. Brock keeps a close proximity to him, picking him once again, this time going for a standard vertical suplex. However, a few punches to the gut later, courtesy of Steve, he and Brock start trading punches for a brief period of time.

JR states, "Back and forth, these icons of violence and attitude are engaged in what could likely be their only one-on-one bout; it really depends on the future of Ultimatum Wrestling Underground, what Heyman has heading forward for both Brock Lesnar and Stone Cold following this tournament!"

Just after Jim Ross finishes his statement, Lesnar and Austin clash with clotheslines in stereo, and they both crash to the mat.

"And, all of a sudden, there's a crash and burn!" Joey comments. "One hell of a collusion!"

Everything comes to a period of slowdown with both competitors laid out on the ring mat. They both need as much stamina and physical durability coursing through their systems as possible to continue pushing their limits at this rate.

Although Stone Cold is in a good position to recover quickly, slumped over the bottom rope, it's Lesnar who manages to get back up first, based on the increment of power that gradually boosted since his victories over Undertaker at WrestleMania and John Cena months later, in a more dominant, one-sided fashion, at the SummerSlam that same year.

Lesnar stands over Austin as he stomps down on him, and forces him neck-first into the bottom rope. With no 5-count to hold the Beast back, all referee Hebner can do is stand by and watch it go down.

Thankfully, the rope choke doesn't take too long, as Lesnar puts his foot off Austin's back, and goes back to his grappling moveset, as he wraps his arms around Austin's sides...

...and tosses him across the ring with a third German suplex.

"3!"

The crowd continues to follow along the new path of destruction straight from Suplex City, that Lesnar is building with each move.

"Suplex City's representative is certainly throwing the Texas Rattlesnake around!" Joey quips.

"Is Suplex City based in Germany or somethin'?" Tazz jokingly asks. "Seems like Lesnar's favorite kind of suplex."

The Beast Incarnate is never really satisfied after only three neck-bruising German 'plexes. Brock Lesnar picks up the Rattlesnake, with an assumption that he might be changing it up, as he wraps his arms around Stone Cold's entire body from the front, going for a belly-to-belly suplex...

"Lesnar wants to make him suffer!" JR proclaims.

...only for Steve Austin to slip out from Lesnar's grasp, going under...

...and striking Lesnar in between the legs with a rude low blow.

"Right in the sack!" Joey bluntly calls, almost wincing from the low blow.

Brock staggers back, left vulnerable, as he often is when the balls are targeted, as Austin stands back up.

Finding the best opportunity to strike right in front of him, Steve Austin kicks the afflicted Lesnar in the gut, and throws the right arm up and around Lesnar's head for a Stone Cold Stunner...

...only for Brock to shove him out of position, reel him back in, and send him flying across with the fourth German suplex.

"4!"

This suplex, instead of landing completely on the ring mat, sends Austin _through_ the ropes and collapsing out to the outside.

"Look out!" JR shouts at the same time Austin nearly tangles himself in the ropes, before falling out of the ring entirely.

"Oof! ...That most definitely didn't feel good." Joey implied after Steve makes his rough landing at ringside.

Brock, deciding 'to hell with it', immediately begins to follow Stone Cold to the outside, sliding out of the ring to stomp down on him a few times, before picking him back up.

Standing right next to the ringpost at the bottom left corner of the ring, Lesnar smashes Austin into it, slamming the side of his skull into the steel. However, the Rattlesnake immediately responds by smashing Lesnar's head into the same post in turn. They trade back and forth smashing each other's skulls in with that part of the ring, to the point where a wound begins to open up on the right side of Lesnar's head. Speaking of, he ends up getting the last laugh in this spot by wrapping himself around Stone Cold once again...

...and managing to hit a successful belly-to-belly suplex, throwing Austin back-first into the ring post...

...which, in turn, causes him to fall and nearly land right on the top of his head on the drop. The crowd nearly gasps, almost scared shitless at the landing. They know what was up with his neck in the past...

"Whoa, _god!_ " Tazz winces.

"Lesnar has _no_ true understanding on safety, especially against a man whose career nearly ended as a result of a broken neck!" Joey states.

"Let's just cross our fingers and hope that history doesn't repeat itself here." Tazz hopes.

Seeking victory in a very violent manner, Lesnar pins Austin on the outside off the belly-to-belly into the ringpost.

 **1! 2! Stone Cold Steve Austin kicks out at two!**

That suplex doesn't get the job done, and Lesnar is not amused.

"And Austin still gets the shoulder up." JR sighs in relief. "Thank god."

Brock Lesnar stares down at Steve Austin with fierce frustration. Patiently waiting, letting Steve take his precious time to stand up on his own, Lesnar waits until he's back on his feet and has turned towards the Beast...

...before hoisting the Rattlesnake up on his shoulders.

"Uh-oh!" Tazz realizes what's coming next. "Lesnar is looking to end it!"

However, Austin struggles out of the position, managing to get back onto the ring apron.

"But Stone Cold isn't; at least, not yet!" Joey responds.

Having the high ground in his advantage, Stone Cold leaps off, and clobbers Lesnar in the head with a diving double axe handle, leaving him vulnerable once again.

Taking the opportunity, Austin grabs Lesnar by the head and pulls him down between the legs. He lifts Brock up in a way that he is completely upside-down...

...and drops him on his head with a piledriver!

"The piledriver! Pulling out an old, dangerous move, but one that is very effective in the long run!" Joey calls.

The crowd is on Stone Cold's side almost unanimously, as it's his turn to get a pin, over the Beast.

 **1! 2! Brock kicks out...**

"Steve only gets the one-two on _his_ part for that pin," says Tazz. "Gotta do more damage, I guess. Gonna be tough to do against the Beast, though."

Brock is still leaking some blood down the right side of his face, as he is dragged by his head by Stone Cold, and thrown back into the ring, after the lack of regard for safety on that piledriver. Whatever it takes, but it'll take a lot more than a piledriver to finish things off.

Running past Brock, still down for the count after being tossed into the ring, Austin bounces into the ropes, waves the double-bird all over the place, and plants an elbow drop down on Brock's face.

Smart enough to not consider another cover so soon after the previous cover following the piledriver, Austin takes a moment to regain his stamina...

...before running back into the ropes, throwing more middle-fingers around and about, and slamming another elbow on Brock's head, mostly on the right side, attempting to worsen the cut on that side of the Beast's head.

"He is just relentless here!" Joey proclaims. "He just wants to keep the Beast down as long as possible!"

With the Beast lying on his back, the Texas Rattlesnake has time to leave the ring once again, this time going for a weapon to deal more damage, more destruction to the former UFC and WWE champion.

Digging under the ring apron, Stone Cold looks in deep, taking his time ( _and unfortunately, potentially giving Lesnar time to recover_ ), before getting out from under the ring, brandishing a steel pipe, almost looking brand new with how shiny and rustless it looks.

"And another weapon has come into play!" JR comments.

Gripping onto the pipe, Stone Cold enters the ring; just seconds before, Brock Lesnar has rolled over to the center of the ring.

Austin sets Lesnar up onto his knees, before swinging the pipe at him...

...only for Lesnar to grab the pipe and pry it out of the Rattlesnake's hand, and then strike him in the gut with the steel object.

"Well, so much for an equalizer..." Tazz laments.

Now Brock has control once again, and he takes a big opportunity in this advantage in an attempt to end the match.

He hoists Stone Cold onto his shoulders, once again trying for an F5 to finish him off...

...but the Rattlesnake slithers out of the position, and gets behind Lesnar, where he spins him around, kicks him in the gut, and tries for the Stunner again.

...It ends up being reversed itself, when Lesnar shoves him back again, pulls him back in, and returns to the F5 position. The crowd is in witness to this twisted battle over who manages to hit their finisher successfully first.

Brock twists in, spins out while throwing Austin off his shoulders...

...and gets his jaw jacked when Austin uses gravity to his own advantage, spins around, and lands in a sitting position, an arm around Brock's head as he catches him in a Stunner **in the middle of the F5.**

All the twisting of both Stone Cold and Lesnar's bodies in that sequence has left Tazz a little disoriented. "Whoa—wha–what the hell just happened?!"

"Whatever it is, somehow – _somehow,_ the F5 was switched around into a Stunner!" Joey tries to explain as easily as possible.

"Stone Cold practically shattered the laws of physics getting out of that move, and I think he could have the victory!" JR proclaims.

Immediately off getting hit by the Stone Cold Stunner, Brock springs up, and tumbles through the ropes and out of the ring; the impact really takes a lot out of the Beast.

"Or... maybe he could pin on the outside?" Tazz suggests, as Stone Cold gets back to his feet.

Austin begins to leave the ring, following Lesnar to the outside. In his thoughts, he's considering bringing Brock into the ring to hit another Stunner as a double-check to make sure he won't kick out.

However, as Austin begins to pick up Lesnar by the head, just near the steel stairs of the top left corner...

...Lesnar fights back with a swift low blow, repaying from earlier in the bout.

"Oh! Turnabout is fair play, for certain!" Joey quips.

"Looks like since Austin got his chance to smack the sack to get the advantage, it's better off that Brock has the trade-off!" Tazz says.

As Austin steps back, wincing from the low blow, Lesnar pulls out a steel chair from under the ring ( _specifically, the same chair used in the previous bout between Shinsuke Nakamura and Daniel Bryan_ ), and clobbers Austin over the head with it, then a couple chairshots to the back for good measure.

"All the chances of getting the pinfall for Steve Austin have pretty much faded away in the blink of an eye." Jim Ross proclaims, as Stone Cold falls down to the ringside flooring.

With the Texas Rattlesnake having gotten all the venom knocked out of him with that steel chair, Lesnar drops said chair, and digs back underneath the ring canvas for another weapon. As a result of the search underneath the ring, he finds an interesting item for these types of wrestling matches: a pair of handcuffs.

"Handcuffs? Who's leavin' handcuffs underneath the ring?" Tazz asks.

"It's best not to question it." Joey replies.

Already knowing how to put the cuffs to good use, he attaches them to Austin's wrists, behind his back, forcing a massive disadvantage on the man from Victoria, Texas. Now with the upper hand, and perhaps a guaranteed win on his hands, Brock drags Austin back into the ring with him, bringing the steel chair along with them.

Back in the squared circle, Brock clocks Stone Cold with several more chairshots to the head, chest and back, to wear him down further. Although Austin has the strength to fight back with some kicks and a couple headbutts, they don't do too much to try and keep the Beast at bay.

Soon enough, Lesnar hoists Austin back onto his shoulders...

...This time, he actually manages to hit the F5, slamming the cuffed and restricted Rattlesnake down into the mat with much beastly power.

"And there's the F5; this might be the end of the match..." JR calls.

The commentators may be assuming this, but Lesnar has other plans.

"Or maybe not...?" Joey raises an eyebrow as Lesnar approaches the laid out Stone Cold.

Rather than pinning Stone Cold on the first F5, Brock is willing to go for another just to make sure he stays down on the pinfall. The Beast lifts the Rattlesnake back up to his feet, and back onto his shoulders...

...and slams him down with one more F5 for good measure.

At last, Brock makes the pinfall on Austin, and Earl Hebner heads in to count...

 **1! 2! 3!**

"And that's it..." Jim Ross gravely states, as the bell rings.

 _("Next Big Thing" - Jim Johnston)_

Earl Hebner raises the arm of Brock, as Stone Cold writhes on the ring canvas.

" **The winner of this match... Brock Lesnar!"**

"The Rattlesnake, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, had his fair share of brutal offense in this match, in his return to the ring in front of this live Californian audience... but it wasn't enough of an effort to stop the Beast Incarnate that is Brock Lesnar." Joey Styles makes a statement.

"I'd say he fought well against the Beast, up until Lesnar took matters into his own hands, and used just a few more advantages to make sure that the Texan from Victoria wouldn't get the victory, even using handcuffs to his advantage." Jim Ross mentions. "In a way, it's a very despicable act, but in the Extreme Rules territory, it's anything goes."

"Well, whatever it takes, I guess." Tazz comments. "Even then, what a match. Think we got even more crazy shit where that came from ahead for this tournament. Can't wait to see what comes next."

As the referee tends to Stone Cold, getting the handcuffs off him, the bloodied but accomplished Brock Lesnar exits the ring, not bothering to put even more hurt on his opponent after the match. He's won the match, all he has to do now is get ready for Round 2 coming up later tonight, where an opponent to be determined will have to deal with the Beast Incarnate in a _very_ difficult task...

* * *

 **Again and again, the Beast rises beyond the opposing force.**

 **Until next time. _What?_ I said until next time. _What?_**

 ** _..._**

 **Until next time.**


	7. INTERLUDE B: Luck Of The Draw

**Interlude B  
Luck Of The Draw**

* * *

Brock Lesnar, having just dealt with Stone Cold Steve Austin in the ring out in front of tens of thousands of eager fans, steps through the curtains, straight into the corridors of the backstage area. The blood splattered on the right side of his face is literally sweating off, scattering further down to his neck and right shoulder, making him look just a little more barbaric with the blood-made war paint spreading around.

"One hell of a battle you had out there."

Brock turns to the left to face the person speaking to him.

The speaker in turn was a fellow fighter in Black Orchid, the agent loosely aligned with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrosue. Another competitor... another person Brock might have to suplex his way through.

Orchid approaches the Beast Incarnate, arms crossed, with no sign of wanting to back down to him. Given her history with being in tournaments, it's not surprising. "You must really feel like you could take down everyone in this tournament, don't you?"

Lesnar responds. "You say that like it isn't possible. Mentally and physically, I overpower pretty much everyone. Even you could be the next victim to the F5."

"I'm sure I'll be able to hold my own."

"Doubt it." Lesnar scoffs as he leaves.

B. Orchid is left staring back at the Beast as he leaves, anticipating an eventual encounter between the two of them that'll give her a chance to try and prove him wrong.

However, before that, it seems she has to deal with another one of the fighters.

"He certainly seems like a tough act to follow..."

Adagio Dazzle, commenting on Lesnar's presence and the match he just had, approaches from behind the green-clad agent, hand to hip as she confronts her.

"The hell do you want?" The unamused Orchid glares at the head siren, who briefly feels through the disavowed agent's raven-black hair.

"Oh, nothing much..." Dazzle responds. "I'm in no need to follow around; I'm just getting ready for my turn in the spotlight is all. Ready to take on a bigger level of competition, to prove once again why the Dazzlings are superior."

The slightly annoyed Black Orchid questions Adagio's egotistical approach. "Don't you need to know who you're going up against before you get cocky about it?"

"Don't need to." Adagio responds. "I always enjoy a little surprise. I mean, given the mindset of the people behind the tournament..."

As Dazzle speaks, one of her hands creeps down below where either lady can see, and grabs onto the belt of Orchid's dark green shorts, pulling her in as their faces draw closer – so close, it's getting uncomfortable.

Adagio feels about the agent's chin with her other hand. "...there's a chance that _you're_ my opponent. Wouldn't that just be _delightful?_ "

A sharp pain enters Adagio's mind, as Orchid grips onto the wrist of the siren's hand feeling around her shorts and forces her out of her personal space.

"Unless you wanna lose that hand, I suggest you don't try feeling me around like that again." The agent threatens the siren, who easily keeps her composure.

"Whatever..." Adagio huffs, as she heads towards the corridor to the entryway. "It's going to be my time to shine next, anyway."

As the Dazzling leader walks away, Orchid takes notice towards Adagio going ahead on her own, having remembered the two others who often follow her around. "You not bringing either of your goons with you?"

"They have their own troubles to get to in this tournament. Besides, it's better off that we stick to our own agendas." Adagio responds, looking back one last time. "That way, we don't end up tearing each other apart, **_again_**..."

It's for the best that the head siren avoid causing any further conflict within her group between herself, Aria and Sonata. Hopefully, the circumstances of the Tournament of Fate help them be able to stick together as a team once everything is over.

* * *

 _("E.T." - Katy Perry)_

The arena blinks with bright purple lights as the beginning beats of the song pump in.

 _You're so hypnotizing  
Could you be the devil? Could you be an angel?  
Your touch, magnetizing  
Feels like I'm floating, leaves my body glowing_

Adagio steps through the curtains and into the public eye of the collective crowding the arena. The crowd reaction she receives is very mixed; some understand the things she's done to try and get ahead in competition, but others just can't get enough of her, especially with the way she sways her hips as she walks to the beat of the song, the spotlight firmly focused on her.

" **The following is the next first-round match, contested under Extreme Rules! Introducing first, currently residing in Canterlot City... Adagio Dazzle!"**

"This is the first interesting new face that we have come to find out about." Jim Ross mentions. "A very mystical being, not quite completely human, but from what I've heard... she's got a very devious mind."

"If you can get past her charm and grace within her looks, which is quite difficult to get past to be quite honest, then you _might_ just have a chance at breaking through her mind games." Joey Styles details. "However, this is mainly in a mental and emotional level, something she's very experienced with. In terms of physical strength and technique... I can't say for certain. This is quite legitimately her first appearance, her debut in the squared circle."

"Well, good luck to Miss Dagi. Hopefully she's lucky and gets an easy opponent..." says Tazz. "...or at least, somebody who's the least tough to get through."

Having entered the ring by the time all three of the commentators get their choice words in, takes a position in the bottom right corner of the ring, reclining in an alluring pose on the top rope ( _almost in a Tyler Breeze or Layla sort of way_ ) as she awaits the opponent that she has yet to find out.

 _("Stand Up" - Exotype)_

The soothing beats of the electronic song is replaced with a more heavy metal-oriented tune. Adagio has her eyes closed shut as she keeps herself in a state of mental bliss, just waiting for the match to begin for her to try out her athleticism in a new way in this competition.

 _Stand up, stand up, it's what you're waiting for_  
 _This is everything you wanted  
_ _Get up, listen up, I got something to say  
_ _You said you'd make it anyway_

" **And her opponent, also residing in Canterlot City... Aria Blaze!"**

Upon hearing the ring announcer Justin Roberts' announcement of her opponent, Adagio's eyes spring open as she nearly falls off the top and out of the ring. Thankfully, she holds onto the ropes as she sits on the ring apron, looking towards the stage as she sees Aria sauntering out from afar.

The reaction towards Aria Blaze is a slight opposite to Adagio's. While the beauty with the orange cloud of hair had a reaction that was more positive than negative, although still a mixture in itself, the reaction given to the punk of the Dazzlings is more jeers and cheers. Kind of odd when it comes to it, despite the two being a part of the same team... at least, up until now, given the potential collapse for this group if they don't trust each other in the ring.

"And, ladies and gentlemen, this is, in fact, one of Adagio's followers, but... it seems that the arrangement of the Tournament of Fate's brackets has turned everything, including the tide of the competition and the loyalty in the Dazzlings, against this group's favor!" Jim Ross points out.

Much like how Adagio is pretty much left speechless in the realization of how this match is pretty much testing the boundaries of how far this team can be stretched before breaking apart, Aria doesn't seem to be that quite happy either. It seems she knew that this match was gonna happen between her and Dazzle, unlike the latter, who wanted a surprise heading into the ring.

Well... _surprise._

"Both and seem to feel as if they got the wrong end of the stick up their asses." Tazz implies. "Only one of them is gonna be able to advance in the Tournament of Fate. Now, the test here seems to be... 'Are you willing to sacrifice a friend to get the victory?'"

Taking a moment for a quick search under the ring, Aria grabs what seems to be a light tube before sliding in. If she's willing to face someone she follows, it's probably better to get it over with, with whatever method possible.

In the center of the ring, the two sirens meet eye-to-eye. There is much suspense in the air with the two mystical brought into the same ring in this tournament, thanks to Paul Heyman, who is the type of guy who likes to surprise the audience.

"This match has the potential to be either good or bad for the quote-unquote bond within the Dazzlings." Joey Styles proclaims. "Either they respect each other or wish to tear each other apart. It's not our choice, more so that it is theirs."

Taking some deep breaths, and looking across the arena at the crowd that is split by the decision that the match is putting on them ( _at least, for the third time tonight_ ), Aria thinks about her upcoming decision. Once her mind comes to a conclusion, she brings her head back up...

...and clocks Adagio over the head with the light tube in her right hand, knocking her down and shattering the light pipe into minuscule shards and white mist in the process.

" _And_ there we go." Joey proclaims. "That'll set the mood for the match, it seems."

Affected physically, in a major way, by the burning sensation alongside the light tube to the skull, Adagio holds her head in a desperate, and moderately failing, attempt to limit the amount of blood coming to light from the skin on her head, knowing that the kind of blood flowing through the sirens will do little to help the situation. Their blood's just blood to them, not fuel, unlike what they wish to consume.

Dazzle looks up to her fellow Dazzling, who shrugs with only a small bit of remorse.

"Sorry, Dagi," says the cocky Aria. "Everyone for themselves in this place."

* * *

 **Lots of conflict ahead, especially in the match coming up next ( _which is another two-parter_ ).**

 **Until next time, remember that THE BIG DAWG loves ya.**


	8. R1: Adagio Dazzle vs Aria Blaze part 1

**Tournament of Fate, Round 1  
Adagio Dazzle vs. Aria Blaze  
 _Part 1_**

 **The first Tournament of Fate match to feature fictional characters rather than real-life wrestlers. Be prepared.**

 **But before that, I'd like to thank everyone for almost 60 reviews (or just over that, depending on how long it takes to get this story out) of these first two acts thus far, and for just over 2000 views combined at the time of this (about 1700 on Act 1, somewhere between 300 and 400 on Act 2). I'm quite satisfied with how well the reception of this has gotten by the standards of my stories, for the most part. Be sure to keep up with recent news and check out the Strawpoll for the Tournament of Fate, or the poll on the top of my profile, to select your favorite to win (or just your favorites overall, regardless of whether moving on to the next round or not).**

* * *

With responsibility on his shoulders, referee Earl Hebner has to force Aria and Adagio to keep their space in the ring, giving it a moment to keep Aria at the top left corner of the ring before ringing the bell.

Dazzle climbs up to the corner right on the opposite side of the ring, still bleeding slightly, and aching from getting clobbered before the match can officially start.

Aria approaches Adagio, but doesn't strike her in this vulnerable position. Perhaps she's waiting for her to make a move on her own, so that it just seems a little more even-handed between the two sirens. Standing only a few inches away from the blood-dripped, almost enough to notice a faint smell of copper, Aria leans in, egging the head siren to take her turn to strike her.

"Well, we're just getting started with the match, but... it doesn't seem like Adagio is quite 100 percent right now." Jim Ross implies.

Adagio, after a moment of inactivity focused on the blood dripping down her face, replies quite abruptly...

...with a harsh slap across Aria's face, almost sounding off across the entire arena, just about all of the way to the cheap seats. Aria Blaze staggers back for a moment, moved physically, and a little emotionally, by the slap...

...but as she holds the left side of her face, she's starting to look rather satisfied, almost _pleasured_ , as a small but fairly eerie smile creeps across her face.

"And she's..." JR focuses on the monitor in front of him, showing a close-in on Aria's face, to be sure of what he sees. "...she's _smiling_?"

"Must like the pain." Tazz suggests. "Considering how she looks, how she dresses... it kinda makes sense."

Heading back in, Aria points towards her face as she comes close to Adagio. "Come on, another one for free..."

The cloud-haired enchantress responds with a harder strike, a sharp elbow to the other side of Aria's face, nearly knocking a tooth loose.

"Oof!" Joey grunts. "I think—I think Aria may be wanting Adagio to get as fucked up, physically _and_ mentally, as she is."

Aria smiles again, whipping her hair back, chuckling a little in satisfaction, and nodding in amusement. "Yeah, now— _now_ you're getting' the hang of it-"

However, she's cut off by a swift heel kick from Adagio, right square in the middle of her face. Double the pain is inflicted on her face, as a result of the back of Adagio's boots, which are fitted with a couple of sharp spikes, striking her in the head. Aria crumples and falls down, splattered on the ring canvas from the kick.

At this point, Adagio, no longer bothering with the blood slowly painting her whole face an oozing dark red, is becoming undone with her frustration, especially with Aria wanting to get knocked around herself. It's not certain why exactly, whether she wants to even up the odds of either siren winning, if she wants Adagio to be as violent as she can, or if she just wants to feel the pain.

"What an—an interesting start to this match..." Jim Ross notes, as Aria rolls on her side in her grounded position.

Standing over her opposition, Adagio drops down with a rough knee, scraping across the forehead of Aria. At this point, there is a small patch of blood coming up to the surface onto Aria's head, as a result of the spinning heel kick straight to the dome. The spikes on her footwear could not help _at all_.

Rolling over onto her stomach, Aria shakes away only a bit of the pain in her head as some drops of blood come off on the faint white canvas below her.

Her waking speed is clearly not enough to be considered fast, and is most definitely not fast enough to instantly evade any overhead attacks, as Adagio takes a few steps back, and then, with a charge forward and a front-flip leap...

...she drops Aria's face back into the ring mat with a flipping leg drop right to the back of her head and neck.

Working on the top half of the punk of the Dazzlings for this portion of the bout, Adagio lets Aria roll back onto her back, facing up, before she can continue with another attack.

Dragging Aria by her right arm over to the very center of the ring, she drops a knee down on that arm, sitting down on one knee, and bends it in an irregular angle, working on wearing down as many limbs as possible in the first act of this Dazzling vs. Dazzling battle.

The faint burning sensation from the light tube on Adagio's head has all but vanished, the blood resulting from that unpredicted strike is ultimately none of her concern after the initial minute, and the remains of the bright white object are pretty much crumbling into tiny particles in the ring mat.

About fifteen seconds into the hold, Aria kicks upwards and bops Dazzle right in the center of her forehead, and the grapple is quickly let go, as Dagi immediately springs back up to both feet and holds her head. Crumpling down in the ropes, she is unable to protect herself at full capacity for a moment while she's tied up in the ropes, as Aria stomps down on her chest a couple of times, and then once in the head; the head kick causes the orange-haired beauty to tumble through the ropes and onto the apron.

With laying down on the ring apron, Aria runs back, rebounds off the ropes to gather momentum and speed, and dips down for a baseball-slide dropkick of sorts...

...but Adagio grabs onto the ropes and twists around, making a 180 on the apron. Just before where she would've connected with the dropkick, Aria realizes the failed attempt, and ends up having to simply slide right out of the ring to rethink the strategy. Hands to hips, Aria ponders her next move.

"With both of these women having to compete in this arena for the first time in their lives, they've got to learn a little more about shifting their strategy around with each move performed." Joey Styles states, as Aria slowly walks around the part of the ringside area that she slid out to.

Aria looks towards the front row, at this side of the crowd, especially at the front row, even yelling an obscenity at one guy who decided to bring a simple 'You Suck' sign and raise it up to her face. After a bit more focusing, she spots a stop sign, just used in the previous match, leaning against the barricade.

Deciding "fuck it", as she usually does with her reckless mentality, Aria grabs the sign with both hands, and, with little thought put into this idea, she decides to toss it right into Adagio's face like a big ol' frisbee. The metal sign bluntly bounces off Adagio's head with a hard **bonk** to the skull.

"Oof!" Jim Ross grunts. "The stop sign is once again used, but in a more unconventional way that one would really expect."

"Aria Blaze has got somethin' going for her somewhere in the world with kooky oddball shit like that." Tazz quips.

Adagio drops to the floor, having lost all grip and positioning on the ring apron, as Aria watches on. The purple-haired siren can't help but smirk in satisfaction as she casually leans on the barricade; the street sign she threw proved to be effective.

"It's starting to look like a battle between one's technicality and athleticism, and another's more violent, reckless brawler-style behavior." Joey proclaims.

After approaching the downed Adagio and roughing her hair up a bit, Aria heads back into the ring, leaving the stop sign rested on the side of the ring apron for later use.

Poking out through the ropes, Aria grabs onto Adagio by the large pound of hair, pulling her back up onto her feet. It's uncertain whether she wants to force her back into the ring, if she's just willing to tear the head siren apart before the end of the match, or if it's in both cases.

However, Adagio is able to free herself by picking up the stop sign left behind by Aria and jabbing her in the throat with it, forcing her back for the moment. Aria holds the afflicted area for a moment, staggering back, near the top left corner of the ring, before running forward for a responding attack. Just as Aria charges back toward the opposite side of the ring, Dazzle, using both hands on the top rope, pulls herself over and back into the ring, backflipping over the rope ( _skinning the cat, as one might call it_ ) and wrapping her legs around Aria…

...for a swinging headscissors across the squared circle, leaving spiraling around the ring and nearly into the ropes near the stage.

At this point, it could be a good idea to try for a pinfall attempt, but Adagio Dazzle doesn't seem to go ahead for one; she's probably got the smart approach going, trying for the pinfall on the biggest of moves, along with a potential attempt at a surprise roll-up pin if the time is right, like how it usually is in the world of pro wrestling.

Instead, she drags Aria to the center of the ring, and goes for a neck-based headlock, wrapping her legs tightly around Aria's neck. Earl Hebner is close by to watch for any signs of submitting, as Dazzle wrings out the neck of her semi-loyal subject, with the occasional elbow to the skull to wear her further down.

"Miss Adagio is... trying for anything to wear down for a three-count or a tap-out of sorts..." JR mentions. "Let's hope she's got the right of way on this method; we don't know too much of a mindset for either lady in there just yet."

Eventually, Aria gets enough power fueled back into her to overpower the thigh-based necklock, as she rolls over, taking Dazzle along with her as she manages to free herself. Upon getting back up, Aria stands over Adagio and grabs her around the waist. She tugs her own neck underneath one of Adagio's arms, going for a back suplex...

...but gets none of it following the lift, as the leading siren backflips out of the suplex attempt, and throws an arm out between Aria's legs, lifting her up and over with a school-boy rolling pinfall.

"Look out! Roll up!" JR calls.

Tazz proclaims, "This could be it, real quick!"

 **1! 2!** **Aria kicks out...**

...and slowly overpowers Dazzle once again, as Adagio slowly finds herself being lifted onto Aria's shoulders. Carrying the yellow-skinned siren on her shoulders like a body out of a burning building, Aria runs across the ring...

...and dives downwards into the mat, taking her opponent down with a rolling fireman's carry slam.

Immediately after the plunge, Aria gets back up to her feet, and prepares to follow it up with another attack. She jumps backwards and flips back down with two knees dropping down on the face of Adagio; a very creative use of gravity to her advantage.

"Geez, there's _no chill_ in this girl!" Tazz proclaims.

Aria dips down for the cover on her fellow siren, almost legitimately forcing her shoulders down on the ring mat.

 **1! 2! Kick-out at two...**

Aria Blaze slams a fist down on the canvas after the failed pinfall attempt on Adagio, and proceeds to slide back out of the ring, this time on the other side of the ringside area. She burrows back under the ring, looking for another object to make use of.

Digging through the more useless junk underneath the ring, Blaze comes back up with a plain beige wooden baseball bat, and heads back in. Immediately, she jabs the now-sitting Dazzle in the back with the back end of the bat to force her into a vulnerable position.

Afterwards, Aria wraps an arm around her fellow siren, and lifts her up by the chin with the bat pressing against her neck.

"Aria planning something with that bat... perhaps a good old ECW-style 'White Russian' leg sweep?" Joey implies.

That does seem to be what Aria is gunning for as the next move in the match. However, as she bends over at a very deep acute angle, with Adagio wrapped around her, the cloud-haired seductress somehow manages to get out of the position.

She wraps her left arm under Blaze's neck to help with her own elevation, and kicks upward to force Aria's left arm, the arm holding the baseball bat, out of the way of her neck. She lifts herself off the ground, flipping over Aria's head as she lands right behind her. She then grabs Aria's bat-wielding arm, and begins to stretch it back, as she gradually forces her down to the ring mat with a calculated armbar.

"Never mind; instead, Adagio, showing her athleticism, turns the tide for the time being." Joey continues.

Over time, Aria's grip on the wooden bat begins to loosen, as Adagio pries it out of the purple-skinned siren's hand, slowly getting a handle onto it on her own.

Holding the bat near the front tip of it, almost like holding a screwdriver or a dagger, Adagio begins to jab the bat down onto Aria's trapped arm, damaging it and weakening it with very precise targeting to the weak left arm of Aria.

However, one especially rough thrust of the bat down on Aria's left shoulder seems to cause a very significant spark of pain, as the shoulder just _slightly_ bends too far at an irregular angle and a small cracking noise emits from the arm.

Having just faintly heard the crack and beginning to sense that an injury may have possibly happened, Earl Hebner has to force Adagio off of Aria, who, despite holding back every scream that she could've let out, is clearly worse for wear, as she rolls out and holds her shoulder.

The commentators don't entirely see what happens at first, but they quickly come to notice when Aria begins to feel at her weakened, perhaps fractured, shoulder and escapes to the outside.

"Oh man, somethin'-somethin' might have, somethin' went wrong somewhere in there..." Tazz considers the situation.

"Uh..." JR stammers for a moment in this potentially dire situation. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm not completely sure what may have been the case, but there's a chance we might already have a potential injury on our hands."

As Hebner tends to Aria at ringside, Dazzle drops the effectively-painful bat and takes a few steps back, before sitting down in the middle of the ring, legs criss-crossed Indian-style, as she waits patiently for the outcome of this situation.

Surprisingly more frustrated than pained over the shoulder, maybe angered that the fight is pretty much close to being over as a result of this potential injury, the fuming Aria paces around as Earl tries to tend to her. She doesn't seem like she wants to have to deal with any sort of medical personnel, and it could ring the end of the match...

...that is, until she approaches a ring post...

...and begins to **ram the maimed shoulder** _ **into the post.**_

Tazz can't help but look baffled at this absurdly dangerous idea that Aria has going. "What the—what the ffff _uck_ is she doing?!"

"I don't—I don't think this is proper protocol for what to do with what one can assume is a fractured shoulder..." Jim Ross mentions, staying calm despite being a little unsettled by Aria's action.

After a few more shoulder-first slams into the metal post, it seems like it's done enough for her, as Aria Blaze slowly trudges away from the ring post, and flexes her left arm around, almost as if _the shoulder popped back into place._

 _What._

Realizing that somehow Aria's fixed her problem by taking it into her own hands, the commentators are almost left speechless for a moment.

The most astonished of the three men at the commentary booth, Joey Styles naturally reacts. "Oh... _my god._ "

"Did she—did she just pop that arm back into place or somethin'?" Tazz asks, baffled.

"It seems that... Aria just _doesn't_ need a medic where she's goin'." JR proclaims.

"Guys, this—this might be pushing it, but I think we might be looking at this generation's true response to ECW's death-defying Sabu..." Joey states.

"It's the girl's first match; I think you might be pushing it a little." Tazz responds to Joey.

"You never know, Tazz; Tommy Dreamer started out as a nobody, but then a few singapore cane strikes to the back, he started coming back for more; next thing you know, he became an extreme legend."

As the commentators gradually ramble on and on, Aria's deeply frustrated frown turns back into a sinister yet relieved smile, as she laughs off the uniquely-repaired injury like it was nothing. Even Adagio, sitting in the ring witnessing the whole thing play out, seems to be impressed in her own right, almost applauding Aria's effort.

"Well, extreme or not, it seems like this is quite an advantage that Aria could have over her fellow siren, and over maybe other competitors further down the line." JR speaks for all of us, closing off Tazz and Styles' discussion. "If she truly has an incredible amount in the tank, she could walk out the champion of the Tournament of Fate."

Despite being only faintly heard over the shock-and-awe-based cheers of the crowd reacting to Aria's expression of lunacy towards her injury, Adagio speaks on it proudly. "Classic Aria, never letting any broken bones stop her in her path of destruction... quite the effort you pull yourself through."

Aria scoffs smugly, staring back up at the ring and Adagio in it. "That shit's not gonna stop me. If we gotta tear each other apart, we're going all out for it."

The match is still going strong... which siren will be left standing?

* * *

 **This chapter has a higher word count than I truly expected myself to type out. I should hug myself for that.**

 **Until next time...**


	9. R1: Adagio Dazzle vs Aria Blaze part 2

**Tournament of Fate, Round 1  
Adagio Dazzle vs. Aria Blaze  
 _Part 2_**

* * *

As soon as Aria enters the ring, she and get into an intense tie-up in the middle of the ring, starting the match anew after Aria decided to take a moment to help herself out with some personal – although quite brutal – first-aid so that the match can continue. Anything possible to extend the life of the match.

"Well, if we've learned anything from the past minute, it's that these two only want the match to end on their terms – not on the terms of senior official Earl Hebner nor any medical staff at standby." Jim Ross explains.

Blaze gets the upper hand from the tie-up; she pulls Dazzle in by her right arm and sends her to the ring mat with a rough lariat to the head. Still holding on to the arm, she rolls over and around, and they both get back up.

However, Adagio twists around and gets in an arm wrench on Aria's left arm, the same arm that was nearly rendered useless just a moment ago. Changing her mind on the limb to target fairly quickly, Adagio switches to the right arm, and then whips Aria over with an arm drag. However, Aria quickly gets up and rushes down on Dagi with a shoulder thrust to the chest, bringing her down with little difficulty.

They engage in a headlock that Aria is in control of, taking her time to survey the situation and figure out her next plan of action.

After a moment, as both Dazzlings get back to their feet at a snail's pace, Aria throws Adagio over and back into a seated position with a snapmare, and then begins to slam her knees into Dazzle's back, going from the left to the right and alternating between the two.

"Wearing down the opponent with some fierce knees..." Joey Styles calmly mentions, focusing on the action.

Twelve more knees later, Aria jumps up and stomps down on both of Adagio's shoulders, as she bounces over her and rebounds the ropes.

Bouncing back with some speed on her side, Blaze strikes Dazzle in the face with a very blunt kick to the face; most of Aria's left kneecap clonks Adagio in the skull.

"Ohh! Damn, what a kick!" Tazz exclaims. "Showin' a little strong style there!"

Even with the leading siren pretty much clocked out of her mind for the time being, Aria decides to slide out of the ring instead of trying for a pinfall attempt. It's clear to assume she was expecting a kick-out following that hard kick to the face, and instead, in this situation, she's choosing to take a minor breather.

She double-checks her previously injured left shoulder, just to be sure that it doesn't fuckin' snap out of place again. Hopefully it's as good as new at this point. She's no medical expert, she doesn't know too much of her condition for the long run.

The blood on the faces of both Dazzling representations is still very noticeable, even though the flow of it leaking out is slowing down and it has pretty much started to dry. For Aria, it's pretty much only given a thin red tint to her face as she recovers, not too much to be considered a Ric Flair-style crimson mask but enough for the fans to notice it easily.

This period of time feels especially long for Adagio as she's knocked down and laid out on the ring mat, while Aria scampers around the ring, thinking of about a hundred different ways to take the match into another level, but unable to decide on which one to go ahead with.

"The match is coming to a standstill as these two sinister young women are contemplating the situations they're in and have no idea what to go for next." Jim Ross acknowledges.

This down-time gives Dazzle enough time to slowly recover, clinging onto the ropes as she helps herself up. Although her head was still a bit achy from the kick to the face, she still seems to be able to fight, as she jumps over the ropes and flawlessly lands on her feet on the outside of the ring to approach her opponent.

Aria turns around just in time to get grabbed by the head, as Adagio grips onto her with both hands to keep her in a vulnerable enough position for a move. What she prepares for is some sort of vertical suplex, heading into the front necklock position with one of Aria's arms draped over her neck, and it's targeted towards the side of the ringside area where the stop sign sits, still reclining on the side of the ring apron.

However, Aria blocks Adagio's suplex attempt, and spins around as she modifies the position. She lifts Dazzle up with both arms wrapped around the midsection...

...and drops her face-first with a flapjack-type maneuver, right into the stop sign!

"And Adagio gets dropped into that sign, stopping whatever momentum she had!" Joey proclaims.

The sign has a fairly noticeable dent in it where Adagio landed, along with a slight smear of blood coming across it in that same spot.

As lies face-down, Aria rises back up, having been torso-deep back into the bottom layer of the ring. She's picked up another light tube, although a smaller, skinnier sort of tube. Probably a different brand or something.

We won't know, as she casually drops it on her leader's back and lets it shatter into shards and vapor. Whether she wanted something a little bigger and decided to trash the little light fixture in the most garbage way, or if she was satisfied with whatever is unknown.

Aria climbs back up to the top of the ring apron, feeling like she's bored with the plain old ringside area already. "Lemme know when you're done taking damage like a pussy down here." She says, mannerless to her superior siren.

"Aria Blaze really has the makings of a crude, anarchistic human being." Jim Ross comments. "I don't see kind things in her future, or even her past."

"She's quite the violent bitch," Tazz bluntly proclaims. "Kinda reminds you of how the women were in ECW, eh Joey?"

Joey replies, "In a way... except a bit _more_ violent. More of a CZW type of girl. That's a _very_ high point on the spectrum of ultraviolence."

It takes a good minute for Adagio to regain her balance, her composure, practically everything she needs to stand back up properly, and she momentarily looks for weapons. Once she notices the arisen Adagio, Aria rebounds off the ropes, maybe willing to try again on the baseball slide dropkick.

However, she stops as Dazzle slides in and springs up almost in a handstand, and she stops just a second too late, as one of Adagio's heels catches Aria right in the face and knocks her back. Then she lands back on her feet after a brief front-flipping cartwheel, jumps up, and knocks Aria flat on her face with an enziguri.

Suddenly everything's turned in the favor of Miss Dazzle. As for what she's picked up from under the weapon-filled compartment of the ring, is yet another light tube, although this one seems to be the same thick tubing as the one Aria started off smacking Adagio upside the head with.

"We're startin' to get a bit of an—an independent extreme flavor here with the light tubes all over the place." Tazz proclaims. "There's probably enough of those to brighten this entire building."

Staring down at the downed Blaze in the middle of the ring, Dazzle looks towards the top left corner of the ring, and exits back to the ring apron, still wielding the light tube.

"'s planning something, something she probably wasn't planning on doing at first..." Joey mentions as Dazzle climbs up the top left corner turnbuckles...

She is perched on the top turnbuckle of that corner of the ring. Cradling the light tube over her shoulders behind her neck, like a branch balancing two buckets, she takes a moment to stay balanced before jumping off...

...landing back-and-shoulder first onto the temporarily defenseless Aria, and smashing the light tube into smithereens, with a Swanton dive-bomb that wasn't half bad to say the least, in terms of the landing.

"What a Swanton across the ring with that light tube!" Joey shouts.

"I gotta say, she practically gave that light tube a Green Bay Plunge!" Tazz quips excitedly, as he sits on the edge of his seat.

Adagio skids backwards, piling herself onto Aria's crumpled body, as she hooks a leg and goes into a cover. Aria's body almost completely flips over as she's pulled over, as Earl Hebner makes the count.

 **1! 2! Kick out...**

Somehow, Aria manages to roll over enough to get out of the pin at two, eventually ending up on top of her opponent, sitting on Adagio's back as she pulled back her right arm.

"Wait, that—that wasn't two?!" Joey objects.

"Surprisingly..." Tazz adds.

Aria clutches onto both of Adagio's arms, forcibly bent and held behind her back in this chickenwing position, as they both stand back up. She lifts her up and begins to dash from one corner to the other...

...before comes crashing down on the top turnbuckle in the bottom right corner, being dropped down as roughly as possible.

"Aria turns the tide, and plants her opponent!" Jim Ross proclaims. "And it doesn't seem like she's done yet!"

Aria continues to slam the opposing succubus's face into the padding of the turnbuckle, again and again, for a period of time that certainly felt longer than how it actually is, before she steps back, still holding onto Adagio's arms...

...and flicks back, slamming her down on her shoulders with a crisp Tiger suplex!

"Working a very rough combo, as she transitions into the Tiger suplex!" Joey Styles announces.

Aria is _still_ holding onto her opponent, almost going for a pin as she rolls back and over Adagio's body one more time.

"She does _not_ wanna let go of her just yet!" Tazz mentions.

One more time, in the middle of the ring, in front of this raucous crowd of fans whose interest in this match is at its peak, Blaze lifts Dazzle back up, this time keeping her up a bit longer to further prove her arm strength to the world...

...and drops her down, face-first into the mat. This chickenwing facebuster connects!

"Planted, with that—with that 'Hook and Ladder', as somebody like fellow competitor Dean Ambrose would call it!" Tazz says.

The force of the 'Hook and Ladder', as Tazz labeled it, with the combination of the drop, and the slight added height from a slight hop that Aria takes right before the drop, is almost enough to knock Adagio cold and knock all of the wind out of her upon her face and body slamming down to the canvas at top speed.

Feeling satisfied enough in her work as she stares down at her downed opponent, Aria Blaze flips Adagio's limp body over, sits down on her chest, and hooks a legs as she goes for the cover.

"Cover!" Joey proclaims the obvious.

 **1! 2! 3!**

"And that'll do it!" Joey then exclaims, as the bell rings, and Aria's theme hits.

 _("Stand Up" - Exotype)_

" **The winner of this match... Aria Blaze!"**

Aria can still feel the silent but deep breaths of the defeated Adagio through the in-and-outs of her chest, as she keeps her seat over her. Regardless of Dazzle's being conscious or not, Aria's the winner, and Earl Hebner raises her arm as she looks across the crowd. At this point, the crowd seems to be more in favor of Adagio by the end of this match, as they are almost unanimously booing the punk of the Dazzlings.

"Well, whether you like her... or whether you hate her... Aria Blaze, one of many newcomers we'll meet tonight, has officially advanced to the second round of the Tournament of Fate." Jim Ross announces, feeling very neutral with the result.

"She's moving on up to the same group of competitors that will also include Daniel Bryan and Brock Lesnar." Joey Styles notes.

"Even then, she was put up against another first-timer in this ring; if she goes up against Bryan or Lesnar, she _might_ not have what it takes." Tazz mentions. "Emphasis on _might._ She still seems pretty strong, new or not, so who knows how well she'll do in the next round..."

As various replays of the match begin to play for the audience, on the large screen of the stage, Aria gets off of Adagio's body and stands back up. After a moment, she grabs onto one of Dazzle's shoulders and picks her back up. Thankfully, the head siren still has some life in her to be able to stand up, but she is not completely sure on why she's being brought back up. At this point, the fans are expecting Aria to attack her again, after the match.

Surprisingly, she doesn't.

"What's... what's Aria thinkin' of doin' here?" Tazz inquires, a bit confused.

There is a period of silence as the two sirens locked eyes, and the crowd was starting to quiet down.

Time is pretty much paused.

…

nods. She grabs Aria's left arm and raises it. The match was hard-fought, and is enough for respect to be shown from one to the other. This is surprising given the ultraviolence factor of it all.

"What's this? A... sign of respect, after all that?" JR raises an eyebrow, genuinely amused.

"Normal people don't go from smashing each other to pieces to raising each other's hands," says Joey. "These are definitely not normal people; they're warriors of their own right."

The crowd seems to be mostly cheering at this point. Respect is respect in any place, and the audience is in approval.

However, out of the sight of most of the people in attendance, and the workers in and around the ring, we begin to see someone coming down the ramp.

This someone seems to be Sonata Dusk, who at this point can be considered the third wheel of the Dazzlings after the conflict in the back the night before. Also due to those conflicts, it's becoming clear to notice her half-reluctance in coming down the aisle, as she cradles a pitch black, folded chair in her arms. She almost seems nervous, although she seems to be relatively calm, taking a few deep breaths as she stands by ringside.

"Wait... wait a minute, who's that?" Tazz is the first of the commentators to notice Sonata's arrival.

"Seems to be the last of the three Dazzlings..." Joey answers Tazz's question.

Aria and Adagio start to notice their third partner at ringside, as the crowd's cheers slightly fade from how they were just seconds before. The song stops as Sonata approaches the ring as well.

Dusk helps herself into the ring, rolling in under the ropes, as she joins her fellow sirens in the middle. There really doesn't seem to be much more to that other than wanting to join her partners in manipulation after the match.

As for the chair in her arms, she decides to set it down on the canvas, no longer needing it in her grasp...

...as she raises the arms of both Dazzle and Blaze, taking in the revitalization of their partnership. The crowd feels just a bit warmer in this embraced moment ( _although there are still assholes out there who still don't trust these three, and instead decide to boo them; to each their own_ ).

"Guess she just came by to celebrate with the competitors." Joey assesses Sonata's arrival. "Nothing like embracing the moment with your friends to really show your new-found devotion to professional wrestling."

United through even the roughest of times that included their failures as a band and frustrations in the prelude to the Tournament of Fate, the Dazzlings stand tall as one true faction. The fact that they're not really considered good in this world is not really an important factor, as long as they have each other's respect through this violent endeavor.

The song of _Stand Up_ starts back up again, as the three stand at different parts of the ring, looking across the arena.

"Well... can't say I disagree with these three." Joey states. "They arrive to the arena a team, they tear each other apart, and they still stand together through the blood splattered around the ring."

"It takes a certain kind of group to fight against each other and still come out of it friends of some sort." JR says. "Even to the fans that hate them, they might want to consider that this is a force that we might not want to disturb."

Reclining on the ropes, staring out at the thousands watching, the still-bloodied Aria Blaze smiles in satisfaction over this competitive bout, and her advancement to the next round. She turns around...

...only for Sonata to rush her down, ramming her in the face with the chair she brought in!

"HEY WAIT A MINUTE!" JR shouts.

"What the _fuck?!_ " Tazz blurts out, startled.

The song in the background completely cuts off upon the chair shot.

It is quickly noticeable that this was definitely not a premeditated attack, as Dusk springs back, almost scared shitless of her own attack on Aria as she hides her face behind the chair. The crowd is shocked silent, almost not wanting to boo, but... _what the hell?_

"Wha—I— _why_?!" Joey Styles stammers.

"I-I don't think even _she_ knows why she did it!" Tazz points out the frightened expression of the shrinking blue bombshell.

Sonata backs away from the near-unconscious body of Aria, as Adagio turns around and realizes what just happened, amid the stunned crowd.

"S-Sonata! What are you do-"

 **SMACK.** The chair clocks Dazzle in the head, almost at the speed of a car, knocking her out cold. The startled Sonata had turned around and swung the chair out of fear, and she takes a good look at what's happened as a result.

"Dude-!" Tazz is getting a little angered and frustrated by the actions occurring in the ring. "You—you fucking dipshit, what are you doing?!"

Both of the competing Dazzlings are laid out. Absolutely no one in the audience is able to say a word.

And Sonata is left alone, with the chair in her hands.

Staring down at the now-dented, slightly bloodied, steel chair, completely contemplating all the choices that have led to this moment, Dusk can't help but feel like an absolute shithead. It's almost like the metaphorical blood on her hands. Everything has just fallen apart for these three... in a matter of seconds, in the blink of an eye, the happy ending for the group has died.

"Ladies and gentlemen... I... I can't really speak for anybody about what just happened." Joey states, completely deflated by the situation. "Absolutely no words left, other than these, to describe this..."

That is the last of what the commentary booth can say right now, as Sonata's legs slowly tremble and collapse under the pressure of her emotions.

Her face buried deep into the dark and dirtied chair, she has to shield herself from the fans and the cameras around the arena, to hide away all the tears streaming down. She realizes too late that the tension between them in the past has built up too much and has released itself in the most inappropriate of times.

She weeps into the chair, bent over into a type of position, sitting in the middle of the ring among two unconscious bodies of her fellow sirens.

This is the last image we see before the cameras fade away from the ring and focus on the fans in attendance, completely left speechless for the moment. Eventually, there is a fade to black...

* * *

 **I'm... not really the type of guy to write sad endings for these chapters... but I kinda have to sometimes, for the sake of the story, and for the sake of professional wrestling.**

 **( _wipes tear off eye_ ) Until next time...**


	10. R1: Sherry Birkin vs Star Butterfly

**Tournament of Fate, Round 1  
Sherry Birkin vs. Star Butterfly**

 **So originally, I was going to have this chapter be Interlude C, but I dunno, I just wasn't feeling it. So I've just decided to go ahead with the next match; it's another single-chapter bout, since it's probably going to be the least notable match of the bracket, especially given that these two characters aren't really major focuses in the saga. Don't worry, I'll try and come up with an interesting interlude for the next time around, but this probably won't be the only time I don't do an interlude between matches.**

* * *

The crowd has calmed itself following the events that occurred during the previous tournament match.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, we are still prepared to carry on through the evening... we are about to start the fourth match, just about nearing the half-way point of the Tournament of Fate..." Jim Ross states over the incredibly wide camera shots of the arena.

 _("Make A Move" - Icon For Hire)_

The song rings as unfamiliar to most of the audience, although the small collective that know the song, and the band that plays it, don't mind to cheer already.

" **The following is the next first-round match, contested under Extreme Rules! Introducing first, born in Raccoon City,… Sherry Birkin!"**

The government agent makes her way down the ramp, with no need to show off anything at all. To a small but still fairly warm reception. Not the biggest reception, especially compared to others, but at least she gets _something_.

"This match is going to be another bout between two first-time in-ring competitors." Jim Ross announces. "And from what I know about this individual, she has worked as a part of national security… so there's no doubt that she knows how it feels to head into combat of some sort."

"I haven't heard a lot myself, but what I _have_ heard is that she's been through a lot of hell in her childhood, with all the experiments and shit..." Tazz mentions.

In the ring, Sherry takes a seat in one of the corners; she looks pretty confident with herself, becoming a part of this tournament for currently-undisclosed reasons, but internally, she must be nervous in some way, especially if she's given a much stronger, more experienced opponent.

…

 _("Space Unicorn" - Parry Gripp)_

 _Space Unicorn!  
Soaring through the stars!_

 _Delivering the rainbows all around the world!_

" **And her opponent... from Mewni… Princess Star Butterfly!"**

All of a sudden, with a song like this suddenly playing, and someone like Star cheerfully skipping out into view on the stage with her wand in hand, the sign of any threat towards Agent Birkin is almost completely diminished. At most, her reaction is, mentally, " _What the fuck?_ "

Surprisingly, the appearance of Princess Butterfly has sparked one of the bigger reactions tonight, beating out some reactions, namely towards the Dazzlings in the last match, and almost trumping the fan reactions of competitors like Daniel Bryan and Brock Lesnar in the previous matches.

Even the commentators had varied reactions that were mostly humored.

"Waitaminute, waitaminute, wait..." Joey stifles his amused laughter. "I'm sorry, I think I may have missed a name when we went through the brackets before we went live..."

"Yeah, I mean, I think I saw her here earlier when Heyman brought everyone out, but, y'know, I never really figured out that she was an actual competitor." Tazz mentions. "Sorta thought she was managing someone, or somethin'..."

"Never in my days would I have expected to be about to call a match involving someone as bizarrely colorful and cheerful as _this_ girl." Joey makes a statement, a statement he probably wasn't expecting to make in his career. "I mean, even her name is one of the most absurd things to have ever come out of even our good friend Justin Roberts' mouth!"

"I... I honestly have no words to truly describe 'Princess' Star Butterfly..." Jim Ross flatly acknowledges. "All I can say is... let's hope she lives up to the hype that she's given to the fans here tonight."

"Yeah! Let's hope this butterfly can bite!" Tazz half-jokingly proclaims.

In the ring, Star bounces over to Sherry, and immediately grips onto one of the former DSO operative's hands, greeting her with a handshake that was just _slightly_ odd. We see Earl Hebner slide into the ring in the middle of this, as he prepares to start the match.

As Star takes a step back into the bottom left corner, setting her wand down below the turnbuckles, Hebner shrugs towards the still mildly perplexed Birkin, right before ringing the bell to signal the start of this match.

Both women start off the match by circling each other around the ring. A standard approach to the start of a competitive match, to keep a target on your adversary.

For Sherry, she's going to have to handle with a smaller and most likely faster competitor, and she has to crouch down just a bit to be able to meet down with Star, as a result of being just about a foot taller than her. However, lunging a bit forward to try and grapple proves to fail, as the princess slides under and out, causing to nearly trip and lose her footing.

Finding herself behind the blonde operative, Butterfly commits to the first strike open to her by running up and dropkicking her in the back, just below the neck. Birkin nearly plants her face into the middle turnbuckle in the bottom right corner, but she catches herself by grabbing onto the rope at both protruding sides of how the rope angles itself around the ring.

Star runs into the corner, jumping up and spinning clockwise towards the canvas, one of her legs catching Sherry in the face as she rolls up her face, and tumbles out onto the ring apron, sliding off the top rope that she holds onto to stay on her feet.

"Oof! Surprisingly, we're starting this match off at a very quick pace!" JR proclaims.

Star hops up and squats on the top turnbuckle like a stalking bird, as she clings onto her opponent's head, entering a position similar to that of a reverse DDT, or more specifically, a Diamond Dust ( _innovated by Japanese star Masato Tanaka_ ).

However, as the princess makes the leap, the tide turns for her...

...as Sherry re-adjusts and sends Butterfly crashing down over her right knee, reversing into a very rough backbreaker!

Star's top speed assault quickly comes to an end, as she falls to the ground and slowly rolls off toward the ring apron. Both women are taking their time to recover from the incredibly fast pace that started this match off, with Star helping herself up to the ring apron, and Sherry sitting down near the bottom right corner.

The crowd has returned to their red-hot status from moments ago, before the end of the previous one-on-one battle, stomping, clapping and slapping the barricade in approval. If they wanted fast action, they definitely got it from the first minute or two of this match.

"Think they exhausted themselves already?" Tazz asks.

"I doubt it, especially if these two have the stamina." Joey replies.

The agent and the happy-go-lucky princess stare at each other, nodding in amusement towards their other.

As soon as Star re-enters, Sherry dashes forward, taking a short jump. She lands on the bottom rope, jumping over Star, and springs back, going for a quick snap kick ( _almost a Cody Rhodes-trademarked Beautiful Disaster kick_ ).

Star dodges the kick, and ends up behind Birkin again. This time, she jumps onto Birkin's shoulders, attempting an inverted Frankensteiner, but it quickly fails as she is thrown off just as quickly as she gets on.

Sherry hops for a short dropkick that Star immediately blocks, and nearly lands face-first as she falls back down.

With Birkin in a prone position, left a bit vulnerable as she was getting up, Butterfly takes the opportunity in a mischievous way...

...and swats her with a slap right across her butt!

The noise of the swift smack sounds off across the arena, and the crowd mostly ohh's from the sharp pain, with some having a bit of a giggle with Star's mischief. ( _And of course, there's gotta be those few guys who actually get off on that..._ )

Tazz chuckles a little himself. "Whoa there, Star! Heh, never too early to be a rascal in the ring, huh?"

"A bit of a frisky strike there; can make a normal lady blush in either anger or embarrassment." JR mentions. "Sometimes, a combination of _both_."

Sherry holds her rear as she winces, actually feeling quite a bit of a sting from the slap. She looks back to see Star merrily skipping around the radius of the ring, not giving a single **fuck.**

"This young girl is clearly treating this more like a game and less like a sport," Jim Ross mentions. "I'll say I won't go against her plan of action in this match, however..."

As Star turns towards her opponent whilst skipping in circles, she is caught with a not-quite-polite jump-kick to the head, and she goes down hard. Birkin jumps in for the quick pinfall attempt.

 **1! 2—Star kicks out right when Hebner's hand counts two.**

"Tried for a quick pin, but nothing of it." Joey comments. "Star, at this point, could prove to be an underdog hero if she continues to keep up the pace with her opponent."

Immediately following the pinfall, Birkin goes to wear down on the princess, pressing a knee into her back as she sits up, while pulling back on her small, almost noodley arms. A fairly long period ( _but not too long_ ) of wearing down the competition occurs during this surfboard submission hold.

However, it's not long until Star breaks free, ultimately forcing Sherry to release her with a rough butt-bump to the chest of the government agent. Birkin bounces into the ropes off the force of the submission-breaking strike, and upon rebounding back to where she stood beforehand...

...Star springs up and comes back down with two feet stomping down into Birkin's chest, and they both fall to the ground, one significantly more hurt than the other.

"Oh! That could collapse a lung!" Joey proclaims.

Sherry writhes on the ring mat as Butterfly rolls away, heading back to the top left corner of the ring, where her wand sits.

Birkin is on her knees at the point Star stands back up with the innocent-looking pink-and-blue wand gripped tight in her right hand. Standing tall over her opponent for this moment (... _vaguely ironic..._ ), she wields the wand like a baseball bat.

She wallops Birkin right in the left temple with the wand, emitting some odd, colorful sparks upon impact, as well as a good pound of pain to the skull.

"If you thought that wand was just a toy, you'd be wrong!" Joey proclaims.

"And even _if_ it is a toy, it'll still hurt like hell! Like steppin' on Legos." Tazz additionally mentions.

With Sherry leaning on the ropes, hoping to recover, Star points the now-glowing wand away from her opponent...

...and almost from thin air, a steel chair, oddly colored a dark violet instead of the standard pitch black that we usually see on most wrestling programs, poofs into existence and lands right next to the princess. Naturally, the crowd goes nuts.

"...Okay, yeah, no, _not_ a toy. Toys don't do shit like dat!" Tazz proclaims. "Jesus, it feels like I'm watching a Chikara show all of a sudden!"

"Same here for Joey Styles and myself!" Jim Ross adds.

After looking at the unanimously positive reception she's being given by the crowd, Star Butterfly grins excitedly, from ear to ear, as she picks up the magically-materialized chair.

She swings it at Sherry, but the former Raccoon City resident blocks the weapon, grabbing onto it and snatching it out of Star's hands, before slamming it into her. Star manages to block some of the impact of the chair connecting to her face with her arms, but there's still enough to knock her down.

"I-I think Star got a little too overzealous with the momentum riding on her, and it may have cost her." JR states.

After standing confused for a moment, realizing the purple chair in her hands, Sherry drops the chair and picks Butterfly up, settling into a front necklock as she sets up for a vertical suplex. She lifts the princess up into the air with barely any difficulty due to being the bigger woman of the match, and, surprisingly, Star does not reverse at all, and is slammed down into the canvas with the simple suplex. Keeping things on the down-low in this match for the time being, giving it some time before going for the big finish.

She rolls back over and onto her feet, keeping Star's head clutched under her arm, as she prepares for a DDT of some sorts. Some booing can be heard in the audience among some cheers also able to be heard, as it's becoming clear that the majority of the audience prefers the magical princess in Star Butterfly over the more down-to-Earth, considerably less unique and more dull personality of the DSO operative in Sherry Birkin.

Thankfully, Star manages to keep her wand under her grasp, as she points it toward Birkin and sends her down on one knee with a magical blast right to her left leg. Butterfly has escaped from the necklock!

Birkin bends down to look down at her left leg, to survey the damage to that leg. This leaves her unable to focus on the opponent in front of her, as Star steps back, winding up...

...before punting Sherry right in the face, the point of her purple rhino-themed boots prodding her right in the center of her forehead, almost stabbing her and cutting her open.

"Good lord, what a kick!" JR exclaims as Sherry springs back from the punt to the head.

Then Star wraps her legs around the neck of Birkin, and slams her head-first into the mat with a headscissors DDT!

"And then an interesting headscissors that plants Agent Birkin right into the canvas!" Joey adds on to JR's proclaimation following the headscissors DDT.

The princess of Mewni immediately heads for the pin following that maneuver.

 **1! 2! Kick out!**

Star Butterfly is disappointed at her failed pinfall attempt at first, but she quickly gets over it, as she gets back up and gets back to thinking through her unorthodox strategies.

She picks up Sherry from behind, but it is currently unknown what move Butterfly is going for here. It seems like it's going to stay that way...

…as Birkin thrusts a foot forward with an attempted superkick! _It misses,_ as Butterfly bounces off the ropes in a desperate attempt to retain her momentum...

...but Birkin picks up Star and flips around, planting her back-first onto the magically-summoned steel chair with a mean powerslam!

"Hoo boy, that's gotta hurt!" Tazz quips.

Sherry goes for the cover!

 **1! 2! Kick out!**

Frustration can be seen in the eyes of Sherry Birkin, as she pounds at the canvas, struggling to not argue against the official's count.

"Oh man, she is _not_ feeling pleased with how this is goin' so far..." Tazz mentions.

Birkin picks Star up by the hair, beginning to make the devil-horn headband on her head look crooked above her long yellow locks of hair.

She stands tall above her opponent, the Mewman Princess's head between her legs in a powerbomb position.

"Uh oh." Jim Ross realizes. "This could potentially be the end for little Star Butterfly..."

...

...that is, until Star suddenly reverses the position, carrying her larger opponent up over her shoulders...!

"Wait—wait a minute!" JR gasps. "Star Butterfly, with a sudden burst of strength!"

"This is uncanny!" Joey shouts.

Transitioning from the Alabama Slam position, Star lifts Birkin's body up, over and behind her, in a backwards-style piledriver type of position...

...before dropping her on the top of her skull with a back-to-belly piledriver, right on top of the steel chair behind them!

"OH MAN! Shades of that fella from PWG, Trent Barretta!" Tazz shouts out loud.

"Driving her down right on her neck!" Joey winces.

Star keeps her position, forcing Sherry down by her neck and shoulders, as Earl Hebner counts the pin.

 **1! 2! 3!**

The bell rings, and that's all she wrote!

 _("Space Unicorn" - Parry Gripp)_

 _Space Unicorn!  
_ _Soaring through the stars!_

" **The winner of this match... Star Butterfly!"**

Overcome with ecstasy over her accomplishment, Star spazzes around in surprise and amazement as her arm is raised by the referee. Her debut has certainly impressed the crowd, as they're giving her one hell of a standing ovation after that move.

"And somehow – just _somehow_ – this small wonder gets the victory, against many odds!" Jim Ross announces.

"This is another bit of proof that size does _not_ matter in this industry as long as you back it up in the ring!" Tazz states.

"The smallest competitor in the match, and perhaps one of the youngest in recent pro wrestling history, has advanced to the second round!" Joey Styles announces.

Star is quick to head back to the defeated Sherry, congratulating her for being such good competition with perhaps the biggest hug possible, swinging her around within her arms excitedly as she jumps and spins around.

"Hey, be careful! Too much spinning, you girls, and you might vomit!" Tazz jokes around, as Butterfly drops Birkin and heads out of the ring.

High-fiving and hugging the fans in the first few rows in front, Star is willing to milk out this celebration as much as possible without going overboard. Given her always-optimistic attitude, this could be considered only a _mild_ celebration for the royal Mewman resident.

"Let's just hope her next opponent isn't too big for her to handle... unless she's able to lift them up just as easily," says Joey. "You never know with this girl; I mean, she's from another dimension, after all."

This bout closes out the first half of the first round; there's still eight other individuals ready to spill blood in the Tournament of Fate, while entertaining these ecstatic fans, much like Princess Star Butterfly certainly has!

* * *

 **Man, did it rain hard earlier today... well, guys, hope you enjoyed this match as much as the last three before it!**

 **Until next time, always be 'hella amazeballs'!**

 **...what?**


	11. INTERLUDE C: Out For Blood

**Interlude C  
 _Out For Blood_**

 **There's now a reason why there wasn't much of an interlude between Adagio vs. Aria and Star vs. Sherry…**

* * *

Victorious in her efforts in the first round, Star Butterfly re-enters the backstage area, clutching onto her wand.

As soon as she walks to the other side of the corridor heading from the gorilla position, she's greeted with some applause from a good handful of the other contestants in the Tournament of Fate, including another person advancing to the next round, Daniel Bryan, as well as people who lost their first round bouts in 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and Shinsuke Nakamura, and several who have yet to compete: Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Sunset Shimmer, and Finn Balor. They've watched her debut match the whole way through, and they all seem to be fairly impressed with her efforts.

"Props all around..."  
"That was some great work out there, kid."  
"That was effin' awesome, girl!"  
"I didn't expect ya t' have in in 'ya!"  
" _Yoku yatta, chō_! Well done!"

Even then, in this kind of environment, it's kinda weird to see someone looking as incredibly out of place as Star Butterfly being congratulated by several others who most definitely look more of the part, as they're a all a legit part of this industry.

Star embraces the love from her peers with open arms, as she accepts a few high-fives and handshakes while she's walking by, and even a hug or two along the way.

Walking through another corridor of the building, where several locker rooms, a bathroom or two, and a couple of training facilities lie, Princess Butterfly is considering heading into one of these rooms to rest up for the second round later on tonight...

...that is, until she catches a glance to the right at the contents within one room's open door. It does _not_ look like a pretty sight, once Star backs up and looks back in again.

It's hard to describe in full, but the scenery of several dented and busted-open lockers, chairs having been thrown about ( _a couple falling apart as a result, even_ ), a couple of broken lights, and shattered glass here and there, it seems like this room is going to need to be repaired some time between tonight and tomorrow. A lot of damage, a _lot_ of fucked up stuff, that cash will likely need to be put into later on to fix it.

All the magical girl can wonder is ' _what happened?_ '

"You notice the wreckage, too?" A voice to Star's left sounds off.

Looking towards that direction, she notices the snarky Canadian, fellow Tournament of Fate competitor Kevin Owens, standing next to her, an apple in hand.

"You know that Aria Blaze chick?" He begins. "After her match, what happened after it, to put it in terms safe to say in front of you, she flipped the _eff_ out. Went looking all over the place for the girl that attacked her, then she got in here, and, next thing I saw is what you're seeing right now."

"That sounds like a lot of bad that went on while I was gone." Star mentions.

Then another chair comes flying in, hitting the open door right next to Star. Owens smirks.

"I didn't say it ended." Kevin snarks, before taking a bite out of his apple and heading off. " _Good luck._ "

And lo and behold, out from the other side of the room comes the irate Dazzling in Aria. Despite advancing to the first round, Blaze still has been having a bad time since her bout with her fellow siren Adagio, after their third wheel of the group, Sonata, flat out _panicked_ and laid them both out outside of her control. To additionally note, it seems like the cut on her, having occurred in the match itself, has worsened since the end of her match. Maybe she headbutted and shattered a window or something?

Breathing heavily in frustration, blood dripping down her face like sweat, Aria approaches the door and meets eye to eye with Star.

" _Where is she?_ " She gasps out, exhausted after causing all the wreckage in the room she stands in.

Star holds out her wand in front, arming herself in case she gets into a fight. "Stand back!" She warns the bloodied siren.

" _Tell me_." Aria growls in frustration.

"I don't want to have to take you down again!" Star proclaims, annoyed. "Now either calm down or find someone else to pummel along the way, you... weird purple turd!"

After a moment of panting, Aria shakes her head. " _Fuck it._ "

She shoves Star to the side as she steps out of the room. "You're no help. That blue bitch ruined our moment, so now, as soon as I find her, I'm gonna ruin _hers_!"

However, as soon as Aria takes a turn to the right to walk past the princess from Mewni, she is almost completely blind to notice anything in front of her...

...as she is suddenly clobbered by the **suddenly appearing Brock Lesnar** (still wearing his ring attire, along with a hoodie to go along with it), who almost dashes in at the speed of a cheetah as he nearly decapitates her with a clothesline.

A couple of German suplexes later, Aria is left bleeding even worse than before, as Brock stands and rolls his shoulders. In his head, he's gotta be amused with himself, having gotten a bit of a warm up for Round 2 off beating down the delinquent Dazzling.

Star is quite startled but fairly amused by the actions that just happened in front of her.

"Oh. Well, that... certainly helped." Star squeaked out. She nods as she looks up to the Beast. "Thanks."

"No need." Lesnar replies. " _My stuff_ was in that locker room."

After that proclaimation, Star looks back towards the demolished room for a moment. It takes until _now_ for her to notice a couple of posters of the Beast Incarnate sitting around in there, mostly torn to shreds from Aria's anger.

" _Ohhh._ "

* * *

Quite abruptly after the scene just witnessed, we're back to the arena. Unlike the calm but solemn atmosphere of the aftermath of Aria vs. Adagio, the crowd is cheering and chanting about, just having fun after the nice little match between Star Butterfly and Sherry Birkin.

 _("Shitlist" - L7)_

The 1992 grunge number sends a small wave of nostalgia towards a good part of the audience, as they look towards the stage.

 _When I get mad, and I get pissed  
I grab my pen and I write out a list  
Of all the people who won't be missed  
You've made my  
 **Shitlist**_

" **The following is the next first-round match, contested under Extreme Rules! Introducing first, from Canterlot City... Sunset Shimmer!"**

Once again wheeling around the shopping cart of assorted objects collected from backstage, Sunset heads out onto the stage and down the ramp.

"Well, this is another individual from the same place as the Dazzlings reside, but unlike them, seems to be more down to Earth with the fans." Jim Ross discusses.

"Certainly looks to be a more fun-loving type of gal, with that shopping cart of horrors she's bringing along." Joey Styles points out the cart of weapons that Shimmer promptly shoves and slams right into the side of the ring.

Leaving the cart where it is, Sunset enters the ring and reclines casually in the top left corner. One of the cameramen at ringside lets in a lingering shot of the shopping cart and the contents in it, including random pieces of lumber, a few objects made of glass, a couple street signs, a couple steel chairs and Singapore canes ( _given the absence of people like The Sandman and Steve Blackman, one wonders who would bring canes into the backstage ares_ ), an old microwave and even a random stapler.

Just as there was further focus on that shot, _Shitlist_ fades out on the speakers, as the next person was set to arrive.

 _("Natural Born Killaz" - Dr. Dre / Ice Cube)_

The bang of gunfire and the screeching squeal of this next song's opening moments makes the crowd realize that they're about to enter some very extreme territories with the guy who's set to come out.

" **And her opponent... from Greensboro, North Carolina, weighing in at 225 pounds... the Original Gangsta, New Jack!"**

The ECW alumnus arrives on the stage to a very moderately-large reaction from the audience, just a slight bit higher than Sunset's reception. His garbage can, now loaded with a few weapons, is held in one hand, and in the other, a _very_ fragile-looking guitar.

"Only someone with the mind of one Paul Heyman is able to bring someone like _this man_ back into mainstream wrestling!" Joey Styles proclaims.

"I saw this guy lurking around backstage a couple hours before the show started... didn't talk to him, but it's probably for the best not to." Tazz mentions. "You _never_ know what he's up to!"

"This man is extremely dangerous to pretty much everyone he's met in the ring for the past couple of decades." Jim Ross states. "This will not bode well for the debuting Sunset Shimmer."

Setting his weapon-filled garbage can near where Sunset's cart sits, New Jack enters the ring with the guitar, as referee Earl Hebner enters the ring, prepared to start the match.

Sunset moves down to the bottom left corner of the ring, as New Jack takes the top right corner.

Only these two competitors in the ring will decide how this match goes down...

* * *

 **...I really don't have much else to say besides "Stay Tuned", so... stay tuned for some more action.**


	12. R1: Sunset Shimmer vs New Jack

**Tournament of Fate, Round 1  
Sunset Shimmer vs. New Jack**

 **This is not only the first match to feature a fictional character going against a real-life pro wrestler, but also the first match to be a mixed-gender bout. It's most definitely not going to be the last, by the look of another match that's yet to come, previously mentioned in the first interlude.**

* * *

 _ **Ding-ding-ding!**_

"And now we're off to the races with this match, a very unique-looking match to add..." Jim Ross announces.

The match has begun, but already it seems like New Jack is feeling reckless tonight ( _as he usually is_ ), as he casually tosses the guitar in his hand around, throwing it up and catching it, as he goads the novice in Sunset Shimmer to 'bring it on'.

Sunset seems to be a little bit nervous heading into the bout with this ECW veteran, especially given that she's heard a few things about him, mostly from other Tournament of Fate competitors in the back. She hopes for no further pressure heading into this.

 _Fuck it_. She knows she's in for a lot of hurt in this no-holds-barred showdown, so she decides to step forward and lean her head to point towards the Original Gangsta, wanting him to take the first shot.

"I hope Sunset knows what she's doing..." says Joey Styles.

With little reluctance, Jack accepts the red-and-yellow-head's offer, and swings the guitar at her...

... _slamming it over her head_ , **shattering** the wooden instrument into nothing but mist and pieces of wood. The crowd _ohh's_ upon the impact of the guitar exploding into pieces on 's head, as she staggers back into the bottom left corner.

"Shimmer gets El Kabonged, for lack of a better term!" Joey proclaims.

"I think this kid's got a deathwish comin'; it's only her debut!" Tazz mentions.

Surprisingly, barely any blood sprouts out from Sunset's head off the guitar shot. In fact, the guitar breaking over her head caused just a slight less damage than one would think ( _and I've seen Matt Hardy get split open from a screwed up Jeff Jarrett kabong spot_ ).

" _...Could've been worse..._ " She thinks.

New Jack drops what remains of the guitar down on the canvas below him, takes a couple of steps forward, and then, with all of the subtlety that he has in his system – that being barely any – he shouts at Sunset to try and 'beat dat!'

After hearing the Gangsta's proclaimation, Sunset realizes that he wants her to take a turn and strike him down.

"What's the Gangsta thinking here?" Joey wonders. "Is he—are they... going to take turns bashing each other with weapons?"

She nods, as she steps towards the side of the ring, where her cart of extreme weaponry sits outside. Bending through the ropes to reach out, she grabs an apparatus of three light tubes, taped together into a triangular bundle, from the cart...

...and immediately shatters it over over the Original Gangsta's head! The crowd groans once again, feeling the impact as the light tube mist fades off into the distance.

"OH! It seems they are!" JR replies to Joey's previous statement.

New Jack roars, crackling with enough extreme energy to absorb the pain from the tube bundle slapped across his head...

...and then throws an arm right into Sunset's face, laying her out with a mean clothesline! She immediately crashes to the mat!

"OHH!" Tazz shouts.

"Well, that's usually what it transitions to in a match with New Jack." Joey Styles mentions. "First comes the crazy trade-off... then comes the pain and potential misery for the person facing him not long after."

Right after the clothesline to the Canterlot resident, New Jack picks her up and then tosses her down with a body slam. Sunset's upper-body springs up in a seated position off the slam, as Jack walks towards where the shopping cart sits, and grabs a folded-in steel chair out of it.

He slams the chair right into her back a couple of times, and then shoves her back down, leaving her laying down completely on the canvas, as he walks through to the apron, and begins to climb the turnbuckles of the bottom left corner.

"New Jack is the first out of the starting gate, leaving Sunset in the dust!" Joey proclaims, as Jack stands perched on the top turnbuckle.

The Original Gangsta jumps for a big elbow drop, in this early part of the match...

...only to land on the ring mat and only the ring mat, as Sunset rolls away, finding herself landing on her feet at ringside, as New Jack lays down in the ring for the moment off the failed elbow drop.

Conveniently, Sunset stands right next to her cart of weapons. Pulling it towards her, the object she picks out of this cart, in the bottom left corner of the ringside area, is an airhorn can.

After allowing the airhorn to let out one fairly audible honk ( _and in turn allowing some CZW fans in attendance to have some fairly interesting flashbacks to simpler times_ ), she walks around ringside, just as New Jack exits the ring to come after her.

Sunset first catches him off by throwing the airhorn at his head. She's gotta defend herself from the Gangsta as much as possible _somehow_. The can doesn't do much besides leave him a little vulnerable for her to punch at his head a couple of times.

"Sunset trying to fight back...!" Joey exclaims.

However, New Jack responds with a couple, much stiffer, shots to the head of Shimmer, before getting behind her, hooking one of her arms over him...

...and slamming her onto the ring apron with a back suplex!

"And spine-first onto the apron!" JR shouts.

After the suplex, Sunset rolls off the apron as New Jack walks around the ring. He comes back up to the garbage can he loaded up with weapons of his own, picks it up, and forces it under the ropes and into the ring.

He returns to Sunset, pulling her by the hair as he picks her up...

...but then Sunset uppercuts Jack right in the groin, forcing him out of her hands.

Jumping up from her kneeling position, she wraps an arm around his neck, and drives him down with a DDT to the floor!

"And all of a sudden, New Jack finds himself planted into the ground!" Jim Ross proclaims, as Sunset re-enters the ring.

She stands up on the turnbuckles and ropes around the ring, gradually ramping up more and more support from the hyped audience watching. Meanwhile, Jack slowly recovers from the DDT straight to the floor, using the ring apron to help himself up, as a scar or two on his head from past years of blading seem to have split open, letting out a small bit of blood on his head.

He crawls under the ropes and makes his way back into the ring, where Sunset is still jumping around, embracing the excitement in order to keep herself on the better side of this match.

Unfortunately for her, it seems like this won't be the case for now.

Turning around to face the ECW superstar, Sunset ends up jumping onto his shoulders, where she is spun around for a good few seconds of rotations, with the crowd counting along much like whenever a giant swing was put into use in the ring.

"She got caught!" shouts Tazz.

"Caught in a very bad position on Jack's shoulders..." says Jim Ross, as the spinning continues.

Eventually, the clockwise-going airplane spin come to an end...

...but not before New Jack drops down and slams Shimmer right on her head, neck and shoulders with a devastating Death Valley Driver!

"And there's a Death Valley Driver, shades of fellow ECW alumnus Tommy Dreamer!" Joey Styles proclaims.

Jack jumps in for the cover on Sunset...

 **1! 2! _Aaand_ kick out!**

"Kick-out! _Phew!_ " Joey sighs. "Surprisingly, she's tougher than he expected!"

There's a kick out, the crowd sighs in relief that Sunset's still got some fight left, and New Jack shouts a couple F-bombs off towards the distance, as he gets up and walks towards the top left corner of the ring.

He grabs his trusty garbage can, makes sure it's open, and then thrusts forward with it, dumping out the contents. The weapons that could be put to good use include a kendo stick, a dark baseball bat tightly wrapped with barbed wire, a 2x4 piece of lumber ( _which I assume he fought Jim Duggan over before he got here_ ), a rusty handsaw, a frying pan, a digital alarm clock box and some pieces of assorted paper thrown here and there to make it feel more authentic, almost as if he plucked that garbage can straight from the streets on the way here.

Then Jack throws the can down on Sunset's back while she's down, to keep her down.

"New Jack wanting to play dirty here with dat garbage can!" Tazz proclaims. "Duke Droese would be amused..."

After that, he picks up the _Shinai_ cane, and holds it in his right hand, briefly savoring the initial moment, before swinging it down...

...only for it to be blocked, as Sunset grabs the barbed-wire bat and blocks the cane coming down.

"Blocked!" JR calls. "Now they both carry a weapon!"

As Sunset gets up, she's still exerting force towards New Jack's kendo sword, as they push against each other, almost in a good old weapon clash.

"Oh boy! Feels like a – like a fuckin' lightsaber battle is about to go down!" Tazz acknowledges excitedly.

Little does some of the audience know that that clash ends up leading to some fairly absurd stuff.

After the initial clash of stick against bat, Shimmer and New Jack begin to go all out with the weapon battle, clashing weapons over and over again, bamboo against metal and wire, as the fans really got into it themselves.

"I think you got your wish, Tazz!" Joey Styles replies to Tazz's previous statement.

Eventually, the makeshift sword fight comes to a close as Sunset ducks a slash from the kendo stick, then Jack avoids the bat in a similar duck-and-run dodge. However, after bouncing into the ropes, the Gangsta is caught in the gut by the barbed-wire bat, which thankfully only manages to cling onto his loose camo clothing for the most part.

Then she gets him into a slightly modified Russian leg-sweep position, holding the barbed-wire part of the bat right in front of the Original Gangsta's face...

… and sweeps forward, slamming him face-first into the barbed-wire with an inverted Russian leg-sweep!

"Face planted! Reverse Russian leg-sweep right into the – into the baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire!" Jim Ross exclaims.

As New Jack rolls off the bat and holds his face, Joey Styles proclaims, " _That_ might keep him down!"

Shimmer climbs onto New Jack for the pin...

 **1! 2—New Jack _shoves_ Sunset off on the kick out!**

Getting forced off, Sunset nearly lands on the handsaw, quickly readjusting herself as she gets up, to avoid hurting herself by complete accident. She runs towards the Original Gangsta in an attempt for another move on him...

...but New Jack has none of it, propping Shimmer right back onto his shoulders much like last time. Except this time...

...he throws her across with a toss out of the fireman's carry position, forcing her to land back-first onto the barbed-wire bat! The crowd and the commentators _groan_ in pain once again.

"And just like that, it's Sunset's turn to feel the pain of that barbed wire!" JR proclaims, as the Canterlot City resident rolls around in pain.

The barbed wire sticks to the back of Shimmer's leather jacket, almost like glue. Thankfully it comes off as quickly as it stuck to her, as she rolls over, getting onto her hands and knees, as New Jack forces her back up.

This time, he guns for a suplex on the leather-clad babe. He lifts her up in the vertical suplex position, perhaps thinking of putting her through the now-empty garbage can sitting just nearby...

...but then Sunset begins to drive a knee down on the top of his head, perhaps attempting to make the small but noticeable cuts on his head come out worse for wear, as she escapes from the suplex position.

"Once again, Sunset avoids danger!" JR mentions.

In her return to freedom, Sunset grabs the stray alarm clock that was in the garbage can beforehand, and throws it at the head of New Jack. Immediately afterwards, she grabs the handsaw, and then bonks the Original Gangsta in the head once again, this time with the back-end of that handsaw. In the third, and last, of this combo of weapons striking New Jack across his head, worsening the bleeding, Sunset Shimmer picks up the small frying pan...

…and slaps it across the jaw of New Jack!

"Ohh! He didn't have the time to think!" Tazz mentions. "He never saw that comin'... and now he's paying fryin' time for it!" From that, some particular few could notice the slightly stealthy wordplay within those past two sentences of the New York commentator.

New Jack stands staggered, turned completely 180 after the frying pan shot to the face. He doesn't see at all what's coming next...

...as Sunset comes up behind him, turns around, hooks his arms with hers, in a modified type of backslide position...

...and dives forward, slamming New Jack on his head and neck with a very painful-looking Backslide Driver, right into the garbage can!

"One _mean_ Backslide Driver! Shades of Chikara's Helios!" Joey proclaims, name-dropping a past gimmick of a New Japan and PWG wrestling star.

Sunset has to forcibly keep the Gangsta down for the pin as soon as the Backslide Driver connects...

 **1! 2! 3!**

As soon as Earl Hebner counts three on the mat, and the bell rings, Sunset releases the Gangsta from her grasp and makes a break for it, rolling out of the ring at the speed of light to get the _fuck_ out of there!

 _("Shitlist" - L7)_

"She did it! Somehow – SOMEHOW – she did it!" Jim Ross declares, genuinely surprised at the outcome of this match.

Earl Hebner quickly slides out of the ring to meet up with Sunset Shimmer on the ramp, in order to raise her hand to confirm her victory. Meanwhile, New Jack springs up after that pin, not only stunned, but honestly a little bit pissed off.

" **The winner of this match... Sunset Shimmer!"**

"This is unprecedented! Unbelievable! Sunset has managed to get the once-over on one of the most legitimately dangerous men in wrestling history!" Joey Styles proclaims.

"This rookie fighter from Canterlot City has made her city proud! She advances alongside another resident, Aria Blaze, as well as some other brilliant competitors of the past and the present!" Jim Ross announces.

New Jack kicks the compacted garbage can in front of him out of frustration, as he trudges around the ring, pointing at whom he was beaten by, shouting about a million F-bombs. He came here to show Heyman he could still be the Original Gangsta in a new era, but then he fucked it up royally. Whether he gets another chance later on or not, no one knows for sure.

"Well, we've been given _another_ surprise to add to the collection, in this night of changes, in the Tournament of Fate!" Jim Ross proclaims, assuring the worldwide audience watching the event being streamed live. "We'll be back with more of the first round, just stay tuned!"

The last image of this post-match scene is of slowly disappearing into the backstage area, leaving Earl Hebner to walk back to the ring, awaiting the next match to happen in just a few moments.

* * *

 **...Fuck _yeeeaaaah_.**

 **...and that's pretty much all I have to say. Until next time.**


	13. R1: Roman Reigns vs Scorpion part 1

**Tournament of Fate, Round 1  
Roman Reigns vs. Scorpion  
 _Part 1_**

 **So yeah, as it turns out, the interludes are going to be more sporadic throughout the story than you'd think. I had one planned following New Jack vs. Sunset Shimmer before preparing to write this match, but it seemed like there wasn't much to work with; it was just Sunset meeting up with a couple of the other contestants that have come to befriend her (Dean Ambrose and Star Butterfly).**

 **Just a bit of relief and happiness, with a slight tease of a Sunset/Ambrose relationship at one point. Then I decided 'fuck it', since I'm not a master of dialogue, at least not enough to stretch it out over 1000 words. I'll probably enlist my friend UltimateWarriorFan4Ever (and maybe Ghost Archer and The Extreme Brony if they're available) for some of the interludes in the near future.**

 **At one point in the near future, perhaps in-between rounds, we'll more than likely see what's going on in the other neck of the woods with the Authority, a couple of new and/or returning characters (perhaps the return of the Young Bucks and Jervis Cottonbelly?) and maybe a small cross-connection in the path with the characters involved in _Quirkiness of Fate_ (by the time this is written, I have yet to write Chapter 3).**

 **With that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

The match has been over for a good couple of minutes now.

The Original Gangsta in New Jack has calmed himself down, slowly getting over the frustrations of being beaten by a young, not-quite experienced rookie like Sunset Shimmer.

Taking his time to again kick around a couple more of the weapons left behind in the match that just ended, he finally decides, "Fuck this shit..." and begins to make his leave.

New Jack exits the ring, looking to just head back to the locker room and let the rest of the Tournament of Fate carry on without his in-ring involvement.

"Let's hope he keeps his emotions to himself for once, once he gets to the back..." Jim Ross says.

However, considering there's still three more matches to go through in the first round, it only ends up being unfortunate timing for the Gangsta that someone in the next match comes out just as he begins to leave.

 _("Another Way To Die" - Disturbed)_

 _It's just another way to die!_

As some clouds of fire burst out on the left and right ends of the stage, the Japanese fighter, Hanzo Hasashi, now more often known by his clan-given nickname Scorpion, emerges from the back, making a direct path towards the ring.

" **The following contest is the next first-round match, under Extreme Rules! Introducing first... from the outskirts of Japan, weighing in at 235 pounds... Scorpion!"**

"Well, here's a truly experienced fighter, heading into a different kind of battlefield!" Jim Ross says.

Joey Styles goes into detail, "A member of the long-running Shirai Ryu clan in Japan, one of the highest-ranked fighters in not only his clan, but perhaps of the entire country of Japan!"

The crowd is pretty hyped up for Scorpion to make his presence felt in the Tournament of Fate ( _especially given that he's got plenty of experience with tournaments_ ).

However, at the end of the ramp, New Jack confronts the yellow-clad ninja. He's changed his mind on heading back for now, and is willing to try and start another ruckus before the next match can get underway.

New Jack, being the reckless a-hole he is infamous for being, tries to start up a shouting battle with Scorpion. However, the Shirai Ryu fighter simply glares daggers at him, not bothering to respond verbally to someone that can be easily considered as beneath him.

And then, suddenly, Scorpion grabs New Jack by the throat, catching him in a goozle, as he lifts New Jack up...

...and slams him down over his knee with a very brutal chokeslam backbreaker!

"Ohh! Suddenly, when a guy like comes along, New Jack's the one who doesn't know what he's getting into!" Tazz states.

With the camouflaged gangsta out of his way, Scorpion continues to make his way down, as he climbs up to the ring apron and climbs through the ropes.

Inside the ring, as the Shirai Ryu ninja enters, referee Earl Hebner is cleaning out the weapons, leaving them on the outside for later use. Speaking of weapons, Sunset Shimmer's shopping cart is still sitting at the bottom left corner of the ringside area; it seems like nobody is bothering to put it away, which means the contents of the cart, including the cart itself, could be used to an advantage by the competitors who have yet to compete in Round 1, and those who have advanced to Round 2.

 _Another Way To Die_ fades out, as Hasashi's opponent is set to come out next.

 _("The Truth Reigns" CFO$ / Jim Johnston)_

The song of the opponent comes off as _incredibly_ familiar to the wrestling fans in attendance. Out of the darker parts of the arena, in the back rows, a recognizable face in a bulletproof vest emerges.

" **And his opponent... from Tampa, Florida, weighing in at 265 pounds... Roman Reigns!"**

The reaction for Reigns is incredibly split from the Los Angeles crowd, between the guys whose opinion of him soured greatly, or just didn't like him to begin with, and those who are still loyal to the former powerhouse of the Shield.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this next man coming out has been the subject to some controversy in the past year." Jim Ross details. "His rise to the top following the end of the Shield has been a rocky one, full of those who somehow grew to hate him following his victory at the Royal Rumble 13 months ago."

"When it comes to the people that want this guy dead... he simply just _doesn't_ care." Joey Styles acknowledges. "He doesn't come here to simply pander to the crowd; he comes here to fight, to quench his thirst for justice, no matter how destructive it can get."

Making his way down the arena's stairs, Reigns then jumps the guardrail and enters the ring. Within that ring, he and Scorpion immediately make eye contact, with a silent staredown from one side of the ring to the other.

"We've got two great fighters about to square off... man, I can't wait!" Tazz excitedly proclaims.

Referee Hebner stands in between the soldier and the ninja, as he signals for the bell to ring, and the nameless timekeeper is much obliged to do so.

The match is officially underway, and the two strong fighters come closer to each other, in the very center of the squared circle.

"In one corner, the Shirai Ryu Inferno, the Mortal Kombat Tournament veteran known as Scorpion, the man formerly known as Hanzo Hasashi; in the other, World Wrestling Entertainment's own Roman Reigns, the Samoan Soldier of Fortune. Ladies and gentlemen, it is the sixth of eight matches in the first round of a spectacularly brutal Tournament of Fate, and we are _far_ from over!" Jim Ross declares a quick speech to further hype up the fans, especially those watching elsewhere, for this next leg of the tournament.

After a good half a minute of this staredown between Reigns and Scorpion, with one side of the audience chanting "Let's go Roman!", and the other ( _albeit a majority of the crowd in general_ ) chanting "Scorpion!" it finally comes to the first strike.

Roman heads in first, throwing a fist that connects to the Shirai Ryu warrior's face.

Just seconds later, Scorpion responds with his own attack, elbowing Reigns right to the left side of his face. Reigns staggers _just_ a little more from that elbow than Scorpion did off Roman's fist.

And it slowly escalates from there, as Reigns continues with the closed-fist punches, and Hasashi continues to reply with elbow after elbow, with the traditional "boo/yay" back-and-forth bounce in the crowd following along, cheering Scorpion, but mostly jeering at Reigns.

Eventually, it's Scorpion who gets the advantage, elbowing Reigns more and more, and forcing him into the ropes. He grabs him, planning to whip him across...

...only for Roman to counter back and _he's_ the one who performs the Irish whip, throwing the ninja into the ropes, then throwing him up onto his shoulders, preparing for a Samoan drop...

...only for Scorpion to adjust himself, and force Roman down with a crucifix press.

 **1! Roman quickly kicks out...**

Off the crucifix, Roman begins to return to the Samoan drop, rotating over until he's back to lifting his opponent onto his shoulders.

However, Scorpion quickly returns the favor by forcing Roman back down once again, this time falling forward and sending Reigns' head crashing into the mat with a DDT!

As Roman's hard Samoan skull bounces off the mat, and he stays down, lying on the ring mat, Scorpion sits just a few feet away, staring towards the soldier with much intensity.

"And with that, Scorpion starts with the first big wave of momentum in this match!" JR proclaims.

"Roman Reigns has indeed met his match in this tournament." Joey Styles declares.

Reigns slowly climbs up the ropes to rise back up, first grabbing the bottom rope, moving up to the middle rope, and finding himself back on his feet once he clings onto the top rope.

However, it's not long that he stays standing...

...as Scorpion dashes forward, extending an arm as he clotheslines Reigns over the top rope, taking himself along for the ride as they both flip over the ropes and land on the outside.

Scorpion manages to land back on his feet almost flawlessly, but the same can't be said for Reigns, who is unfortunate to end up splattering to the floor.

Surprising that it didn't take long for the match to go outside the ring.

Scorpion picks Roman up by the head and hair, looking to take control over the Big Dog…

...but then Roman powers over his opponent, driving Scorpion right into the center part of the guardrail! It's a good thing the barricade holds its own fairly well ( _although the corners seem to be the weakest part, from past experience with mainstream pro wrestling_ ).

Following up from being sent back-first into the barricade, the Shirai Ryu ninja responds by forcing the Samoan Soldier into the ring apron almost immediately after, pretty much bracing the impact into the metal barricade and rebounding off to take action in response.

Scorpion keeps his arms wrapped around Roman, as he backs up with him...

...and throws Roman across, into the barricade, with a northern-lights suplex!

"Good lord, what a suplex into the guardrail!" Jim Ross exclaims. "That'll rattle the spine!"

Reigns falls to the floor, damaged from the suplex into the barricade, although a slight less than one would usually take as a result of the protective vest that absorbs a small bit of the impact. Even then, he's still down for the count for the minute at hand.

However, Scorpion doesn't let up for a second, as he picks Reigns back up, and drags him towards the ring apron, where he forces Reigns' face into that part of the ring one time after another, followed by a few right-hand fists to his face.

Following up on the chain of attacks, Scorpion grabs Roman and tosses him towards the bottom left corner of the ringside area, causing him to drive one of his shoulders into the ring post. He runs ahead, following the Samoan in the same direction, only for Roman to recover quickly, and move out of the way. However, the ninja stops just short of the leftover shopping cart...

...and then promptly jabs Roman in the jaw with a kick to the face, once the Samoan tries to attack him.

Following up off the kick, Scorpion suddenly runs up the side of the cart, cleverly using it as elevation...

...before jumping onto Roman, and sending him back down to the ground with a spiraling tornado DDT!

"Roman, dropped _brutally_ with that DDT!" Joey Styles proclaims. "The environment is truly a battlefield when this guy is around!"

* * *

 **And I'm gonna end it there, a bit abruptly.**

 **Main reason being that, by the time I finish this chapter, I just got finished watching the 24-hour charity stream that newLEGACYinc put on a couple hours ago. $18000+ raised, woooo! But after that, yeah, I kinda needed to throw something out there real quick after the brief break thanks to the 24-hour stream.**

 **Until next time, stay tuned...**


	14. R1: Roman Reigns vs Scorpion part 2

**Tournament of Fate, Round 1  
Roman Reigns vs. Scorpion  
 _Part 2_**

 **Brace yourselves; it's gonna be a slightly longer run than usual in this chapter.**

* * *

 **1! 2-**

Roman Reigns powers out right at two from a pinfall attempt by Scorpion, following the devastating tornado DDT just a moment ago, driving Roman's head into the floor with 100% real force.

"Thankfully, still has a lot more fight left in him; the match has only _just_ begun, after all." Jim Ross explains, as Scorpion picks Reigns up after the pin attempt and throws him back into the ring.

"Even then, that DDT will rattle somebody to the core, and make it just a little more difficult to carry momentum once you have some on your side." Joey Styles retorts, as Scorpion keeps Reigns grounded with a couple of choice jabs and kicks to the body and head. "And given what's happening to Roman, he seems to be on the wrong side of trouble here."

Roman continues to defend himself against the Shirai Ryu's most reknown fighter with a few punches to the gut, in order to keep some space between the two. Getting back up from the kneeling position, Reigns follows it up with a kick to the midsection of Scorpion, before grabbing him and lifting him up for a spinebuster of sorts.

However, Scorpion slips out of the position of being carried, jumping over Reigns, and ending up behind him, where he quickly sets him up into a modified abdominal stretch position.

"Scorpion escapes, and—and he locks in an abdominal stretch." Jim Ross calls. "Heading down to old-school tactics of wearing down the opponent."

Stuck in the hold for the time being, Roman has to drag himself around the ring, trying to escape for about a minute.

…

Eventually, he manages to struggle out by throwing Scorpion up and over his shoulder with a hip toss. As soon as the ninja ends up standing in front of him, Reigns jumps forward for a big leaping clothesline.

Scorpion ducks and evades, rolling across the ring, as Reigns nearly plants himself into the top left corner of the ring.

Turning around after completely whiffing the leaping clothesline, Reigns considers trying to blow through one of his more powerful moves quicker than usual to try and damage as much as possible, and as quickly as possible. He's willing to go all out and use his destructive arsenal to his advantage, if it means getting back to WWE with a stronger mindset, after beating several new and interesting competitors along the way.

He runs forward, roaring as he dashes towards Scorpion for an early spear...

...only for Scorpion to escape from being his target once again, in turn causing Reigns to dive through in between the top and middle turnbuckle of the opposite corner, driving himself shoulder-first into the ring post!

"...Scorpion _evading!_ And Reigns crashes! What a brutal mistake!" Joey proclaims, as Roman slams into the ring post, and immediately falls out of the ring and back to ringside.

"I'm surprised he couldn't stop himself before he hurt himself..." Tazz laments, as Scorpion leaves the ring, following Reigns out to the ringside area.

Returning to where Sunset's shopping cart stands, pulls a kendo stick from it, holding it in his grasp almost as if it was one of his own swords being wielded in his right hand.

"Even though Roman has had years of experience in the squared circle, ever since his Florida Championship Wrestling days, there is some doubt that it can trump the decades of experience of violent brawling that Hanzo Hasashi, aka Scorpion, has picked up." Jim Ross mentions. "Even if the scenery is a bit different from what someone like him would usually fight in, the rules aren't too drastically changed."

After a period of silently stalking his prey, slowly approaching the downed Reigns...

…Scorpion finally attacks with the kendo sword, swinging it down on one of Roman's shoulders; specifically, the shoulder that collided with the ring post.

He repeats the strikes a few more times, to the back, arm and neck areas, before setting the stick on the ring apron, approaching Reigns, and grabbing onto his vest. It seems like he wants to get rid of the Samoan's protective gear, so that he can deal further damage without anything to absorb the pain.

Taking notice, Roman responds by throwing a couple elbows to the side of Scorpion's head, attempting to regain freedom from his grasp.

Unfortunately for him, Scorpion doesn't let go, even when the elbows make clear, legitimate contact to his head. Given his past experiences in combat, it's easy to see why.

Even more unfortunate for Roman Reigns is Scorpion's decision to throw him across and send him crashing into the same ring-post that cracked him in the shoulder just a moment ago.

"Again and again, Roman crashes into the ring post!" Jim Ross proclaims as Reigns tumbles down to the floor.

Standing over Reigns' body as he lays down on the floor off slamming his head off the ring post, Scorpion ducks down and goes for another cover.

 **1! 2—No!**

This pinfall proves to be almost as unsuccessful as the previous, but the kick-out itself proves to be more aggressive, as while he throws a shoulder up, Reigns throws a fist that connects and hits the Shirai Ryu ninja right in the face.

In retaliation, Scorpion continues to sit on top of Roman, working down on the floor with ground-and-pound punches that Roman has to defend himself from, blocking mostly his face from the jabs, hooks and elbows that Scorpion brings down upon him.

"Alright, here we go, it's boiling down to just who can deliver the hardest punches!" Joey Styles commentates. "It's almost turning into an MMA brawl with all the punches and elbows that Scorpion is raining down onto his opponent!"

The match has quickly degenerated down to a UFC-style battle on the floor, with both men throwing unrelenting punches, unchained in their ferocity. There is no rest for either of these competitors in the Tournament of Fate, not until one gets the win over the other.

Eventually, everything shifts around, as Reigns manages to take complete control of the fight, sitting on top over the opposing force, and unleashes hell on the Netherrealm-reborn menace.

Not long after, Roman adjusts accordingly, as he shifts around, slowly carrying his Japan-born opponent into the air as he transitions to a deadlift-powerbomb position.

He slowly turns around, trying to avoid slipping and screwing up...

...before powerbombing Scorpion right into that ring post! He naturally crumples down to the floor off the powerbomb.

"Good lord!" Jim Ross exclaims. "Powerbomb into the ring post! Once again using that part of the ring as a weapon!"

"It's almost like that ring post is specifically a magnet for destruction!" Joey Styles proclaims.

Reigns jumps in for the pin after that ring-post powerbomb...

 **1! 2! Kick out!**

"A kick out at two, not much else to come of it..." JR comments.

Reigns runs a hand through his slightly disheveled hair; he's gotta be thinking of what to pull out of his arsenal of powerful attacks next, that or if he needs to find a weapon to give himself an advantage.

"Roman Reigns _needs_ to fight back as much as possible against the fierce opponent that he's been put against; he's gotta be looking towards Round 2 of this Tournament of Fate, one step closer to being the first man to lead Heyman's new dynasty." Joey Styles discusses the story being told within Reigns' mind.

Having made his decision, Reigns picks Scorpion up by his head, planning to bring the fight back into the ring. Scorpion immediately responds, however, by grabbing Roman by the head and forcing him down on the ring apron, and it is Reigns who is thrown back into the ring, as Scorpion climbs up to the apron.

The ninja leaps up, bouncing onto the top rope, before jumping again, Reigns in his sights...

...only for Reigns to catch Scorpion in his arms, in a position not unlike that of a backbreaker or a fallaway slam. The Samoan fighter charges into the bottom left corner, sending Scorpion back first into the turnbuckles...

...and then spins around, throwing him down with a snapping powerslam, followed immediately by another pinfall!

 **1! Kick out, right before two!**

Each kick-out irritates Roman just a little more, as he sits up on his knees and growls in frustration.

"Roman Reigns has fought through some pretty deep shit to get to where he is today; he's probably gotta step through even _more_ to get past this guy." Tazz mentions.

Back to a standing position, Reigns bends down to pick Scoprion back up…

...only for the Shirai Ryu ninja to catch him, and roll around in a position akin to a small package. However, instead of going for the surprise pin, as even the senior official in Earl Hebner thought, Scorpion stands back up, arms hooked around Roman in a vertical suplex position, as he lifts the vest-wearing Samoan badass up in the air...

...and drops right down with a rough Brainbuster suplex! Roman gets sent down onto his neck and back!

"And a heavy brainbuster connects!" Jim Ross proclaims.

Breaking open the defenses of Roman Reigns, Scorpion quickly twists around and changes focus to the arm as he locks in a cross-armbar on Reigns' right arm ( _attempting to leave him to just one arm for the Superman Punching that could happen later on in this match_ ).

"Following up with an armbar, deciding to work the arms as a method of keeping Roman Reigns from unleashing his best pure strikes!" Joey Styles commentates, soon after the arm-focused submission hold is fully locked in.

Earl Hebner takes a knee as he keeps his eye on Roman's free arm as the brute of the defunct Shield struggles under the pressure forced on him in this arm-breaker submission.

...

Eventually, after the period of being worn down by the armbar, Reigns manages to roll over, until somehow, he manages to lock in an armbar of his own on Scorpion, completely flipping the match over in his favor. Now the referee has to focus on the strong contender of the Shirai Ryu clan, whether he is going to tap out; the average viewer wouldn't expect the match to come to an end, but you never know just what might happen in the squared-circle.

However, somehow, it takes even less time for Scorpion to escape his own unfortunate position in the armbar than Roman did in his own predicament, as he slowly climbs back up to his feet, Reigns wrapped around his arm, in a near-pin as he slowly begins to lift him up, slowly transitioning into a school-boy style powerbomb position, shifting around until he has hold of both of Roman's legs in the standard powerbomb hold...

...and then tossing him across the ring and into the bottom left corner with ease!

"Powerbomb, right into the turnbuckles! There's barely a true soft landing in that spot when you get thrown in there!" Joey proclaims, as Reigns falls down to his knees.

"Shades of a few others who have graced the ring, including one of our own!" Jim Ross mentions, not bothering to name names; modern wrestling fans can best understand who he's talking about.

Scorpion grabs Reigns by the head, continuing on the combo after the powerbomb, throwing him down into a position that leaves him ready to be brought head-first into the ring canvas with a piledriver.

However, as soon as the hellbent ninja begins to lift Reigns up, Reigns counteracts, and throws Scorpion up and over with a back body drop to reverse it.

Scorpion quickly grabs onto the top rope and lands precisely on the ring apron, as Reigns looks back, runs the ropes, and charges forward with a spear...

...only to miss, as Scorpion dodges the charge completely, and Reigns ends up flying like a missile, right into the side of the weapon-filled shopping cart. Crash and burn at its finest.

"Roman going for a spear and... good lord, right into the shopping cart!" JR calls the action as it goes on, reacting naturally as Reigns crashes into the cart of weapons and falls to the floor.

"We're gonna need a clean-up over in _that_ aisle!" Tazz quips as Roman rolls around on the floor, holding his shoulders.

Scorpion glares down at his downed opponent. It's quite noticeable that the ninja warrior is unamused with Reigns' considerably pathetic attempt at tackling him down, and the end result that came for the Samoan-American fighter.

He drops down from the apron and looks back under the ring, producing a table ( _the second table used during the first round of this tournament_ ).

"Uh-oh, we got wood!" Tazz proclaims energetically, as the wooden apparatus comes into play.

Scorpion pushes the table into the ring, before approaching the still-downed Reigns, grabbing him by the vest before throwing him under the ropes as well.

Both men are back in the ring, as Scorpion once again picks Roman back up to his feet, before setting up for another move.

Adjusting into the position for a swinging neckbreaker, Scorpion grabs onto Roman's head and twists around...

...only for Reigns to break free, and quickly clobber the ninja with an elbow to the back of the head!

"Roman reverses the attack!" Jim Ross proclaims.

As Scorpion turns around, Reigns follows it up with an abrupt kick to the jaw.

"And a good kick right to the jaw!" Joey Styles follows up on JR's proclamation.

Roman Reigns lets out a brief primal roar, before running the ropes...

...and then leaping up and slamming a fist right to 's head, with a sudden Superman Punch!

" _And a Superman Punch_! But Scorpion refuses to go down!" JR shouts, as Scorpion stays standing, but yet still staggered by the heavy punch.

"The warrior known before as Hanzo Hasashi, taking just a bit more punishment than one would regularly take in one sitting!" Joey acknowledges, as Reigns roars again, and rebounds off the ropes for one more Superman Punch.

"And another Superman—oh no!" JR shouts...

...as Scorpion catches Reigns out of the air, midway through the attempt at the subsequent Superman Punch...

...and slams him down over his knee with the choke-breaker!

"Scorpion catching Reigns before that second Superman Punch... and slamming him down with that chokeslam backbreaker! The same one we've seen done to New Jack just moments before this match began!" Jim Ross exclaims as Roman crumbles to the canvas off the spine-rattling drop.

After that sequence, Scorpion picks up the table that he has brought into the match, and lays it down in the bottom right corner of the ring.

"That table being set up... it's pretty much an unwritten rule that in matches like these, that table _has_ to be broken at some point or another..." Joey states, as Scorpion once again approaches Reigns and brings him back up.

He backs Reigns into the top left corner, before wearing him down with various heavy blows to the head and body, before grabbing for an Irish whip across the ring...

...only for Reigns to reverse and whip Scorpion across the ring, towards the table...

Scorpion runs up the table and attempts to jump over Reigns with a backflip over the Samoan...

...only to be caught and immediately dropped down onto his back with a Samoan drop as soon as Reigns catches him in midair!

"And Scorpion gets sent down with the Samoan Drop!" JR shouts.

Another pinfall attempt at the hands of Reigns...

 **1! 2! Kick out!**

No, Scorpion stays in the fight! He's not done yet by a long shot...

In retaliation, Reigns begins to punch and elbow down on Scorpion's head with relentless strikes. It's become to a point where Hasashi's head is starting to open up and begin bleeding, and the hood of his ninja mask is slowly starting to come down, letting into view a bit of his raven-black hair.

"Roman is _not_ letting up! The Tournament of Fate seems to be bringing the worst out of this Samoan brawler!" Jim Ross comments, as Reigns gets off of Scorpion and screams a raging scream. The crowd is primarily against Roman Reigns in this bout, rather supporting the more notable and more destructive competitor in Scorpion, especially after the performance he has given so far.

Embroiled in rage, Reigns steps back, standing in the corner that the table is leaned against, before roaring one more time and bracing for the Spear. His vest looks to be slowly coming undone as he bends in and stares daggers towards his opponent.

…

...As soon as Scorpion struggles back up to his feet and turns around, Reigns charges in for another attempted spear straight from Florida...

...only for Scorpion to dodge it once again, and force Reigns into another ring post, this time at the top left corner! That's _twice_ that his spear has been trumped in the exact same way! The rage in his mind is clearly in the way of the part of his mind that tries to adapt from previous mistakes, and it _shows_.

"Roman Reigns, once again, fucked up royally from trying to lay Scorpion out with the Spear!" Tazz proclaims, as Scorpion steps away from the once-again halted Samoan.

Scorpion looks towards the table he set up just a couple minutes ago, formulating a plan...

...and with no hesitation at all, it takes a flick of Scorpion's wrist towards the table, before it _lights up_ _ **in flames.**_ The crowd gasps in excitement.

"Did—did the table just... _catch fire_?" The bewildered Jim Ross asks, a bit scared of the flames spreading around the wooden table, in the position that it's in.

"He didn't need any lighter fluid, or gas... he just looked at the table, did a little hand-thingy, and _pbht!_ It's on fire now!" Tazz tries to explain. "This is—y'know, this is kinda crazy..."

"Well, where I've been, I've been desensitized of most of the typical craziness of ECW..." Joey Styles responds.

With the table set alight in fresh fire, Scorpion picks Reigns up, into what seems to be the starting position for a powerbomb. The heat, the temperature, has risen significantly as a result of the lingering fire...

Scorpion lifts Reigns up into the air, arms and legs spread out in the air, almost like a crucifix...

…

...before he dashes forward towards the flaming table, and throws Reigns through it with a fierce crucifix powerbomb! The flames vanish almost completely as Reigns breaks through the charred table, feeling most of the flames as he goes through!

"Oh my god, right through that burning table!" Joey Styles shouts.

"Scott Hall would be shittin' himself!" Tazz proclaims.

Many extreme measures have been taken through that Razor's Edge-style powerbomb through the burning table. Scorpion finally goes in for the pin, after dragging Roman away from the burnt remains of the table...

 **1! 2! 3!**

And so ends the bout, with the 3-count, and Earl Hebner calling for the bell...

 _("Another Way To Die" - Disturbed)_

"And, surprisingly, that ends the match!" Jim Ross proclaims as the bell rings.

" **The winner of this match... Scorpion!"**

"Scorpion advances over the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, proving his dominance!" Jim Ross announces.

"I don't really blame him; Scorpion's literally been through Hell and back, and he's spent more years on the battlefield than Roman ever has; in the battle between the Shirai Ryu warrior, and the former brute of the Shield, it's the former who manages to get the victory." Joey Styles states, as the referee raises Scorpion's arm up.

"Reigns put up one hell of a fight, but he just couldn't get the job done." Tazz proclaims.

As the commentators speak, Scorpion exits the ring and heads up the ramp, making a straight beeline towards the back.

"Scorpion advances to the second round of the Tournament of Fate, alongside several others, such as Canterlot upstarts Sunset Shimmer and Aria Blaze, as well as several wrestling superstars in Daniel Bryan and Brock Lesnar, and a newfound underdog in Mewni's own Star Butterfly." Jim Ross announces to the audience watching. "However, between him and the rest of the competitors having advanced to Round 2, Scorpion stands out as one of the stronger competitors. There's no doubt that he's probably one of the top favorites to potentially win in the first ever Tournament of Fate competition."

Jim Ross continues as Scorpion vanishes into the backstage area, "Ladies and gentlemen, we implore you to continue watching this broadcast, as our next bout, the second-to-last in the first round, is coming up in just a few minutes; stay tuned!"

* * *

 **So, uh, fun fact...**

 **Originally, I was gonna have Roman Reigns be the winner of this match, but lose in the second round. However, I decided to go with Scorpion as the winner since he's probably got more of an edge over Reigns in terms of fighting experience (about two decades of fighting in the Mortal Kombat tournaments for Scorpion about six or seven years in the ring for Roman Reigns). Although experience isn't going to be the biggest factor in the fights, it certainly helps to one's advantage and another's disadvantage.**

 **With that said, I'm just gonna go ahead and say what the next match is going to be: Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens. Considering that Dean Ambrose vs. Black Orchid was pretty much confirmed to be a match in the first interlude of Act 2, and there's only two other guys left to be seen besides Ambrose and Orchid following Scorpion vs. Reigns, it seems like people would be able to figure it out themselves. But for the people who didn't yet, you're welcome.**

 **Until next time.**


	15. INTERLUDE D: Hell and Back

**Interlude D  
** _ **Hell and Back**_

* * *

" _Holy shit man._ You look like you've been through hell."

We retreat into the backstage area once more, in the moments following the hellacious battle between Roman Reigns and Scorpion.

Sitting down with a couple of water bottles that have been drained empty onto his body to recover from the minor burns and welts of the battle, Reigns is comforted by his best friend Dean in one of the available locker rooms ( _or at least one of the remaining locker rooms that somebody hasn't trashed yet so far; who knows if Aria's still pissed off at Sonata, or if Brock's gotten bored already_ ).

Having hung up his identifiable vest, which has suffered a small bit of damage from the fire he was sent through just minutes ago, all that's left for the Samoan fighter is to see what will happen next in the Tournament of Fate, the tournament that he fought to a losing effort in the _very first round._

"Hell and back, man." Reigns finally responds to the comment that Ambrose has just let out.

"It's a good thing you know how to brace through all that shit like it was nothin'." Ambrose acknowledges. "Tough as balls to learn, especially how I did back in the Combat Zone."

Reigns smirks lightly. "You know that better than I do."

Dean replies matter-of-factly, looking back to his past even further, "Took a saw to the head; even _I'm_ surprised I manage to know more after that."

The Samoan bad-ass nods in agreement.

"Wish you could've been able to fight through those flames, though," Dean laments afterwards. "I probably would've embraced it a lot more, manage to get the win afterwards. Kinda sucks that you got lumped with one of the toughest ninja-motherfuckers ever known; no amount of playin' the _Mortal Kombat_ games can brace you for a real-deal situation against a guy like him."

"Like your match is gonna be any easier?" Roman implies, with a raised eyebrow towards the man considered a 'lunatic'.

"If you can take on a guy like Scorpion in that ring for that long," Ambrose retorts, "then I think I can handle just as much out of Orchid and her mega-tits."

Ambrose's retort is briefly accompanied by him mimicking the motion of, to put it in his terms, 'rubbery, bouncy tits' to further add to his personal sense of humor.

Reigns lets out a brief snort at Ambrose's slightly deviant acknowledgment of the disavowed agent. "Don't think she would like you callin' her that."

Ambrose scoffs in response. "Please. You're talking to a guy who spent his time in CZW. Unless she manages to find an reciprocating saw or some shit like that to slice me open, I can call her whatever back here. In the ring, however... that's gonna be a whole different story once we get in there..."

After that, Dean rises up from his seat next to Roman. "Speaking of..."

Sensing a familiar presence behind him, Ambrose turns around...

...and looks back at the person that was his topic of discussion, as he meets his eyes with the emerald eyes of Orchid, who the Lunatic Fringe spots leaning against the doorway of the room, with a steady grip on her electricity-fueled batons. Even though her focus was clearly elsewhere before Ambrose sensed her behind him, he knows she's more than likely been hearing.

"Could you please cut it with the ninja-ing around us?" The frustrated Dean demands towards the agent. "Really starting to piss me off."

Orchid crosses her arms before she replies. "Says the guy who would rather poke fun than train."

"Not your business what I do around here." Ambrose snaps back. "Besides, when I'm faced with a new guy, I go in blind."

Orchid scoffs in response. "Already you're at a disadvantage."

Roman steps towards his best friend in Dean, resting a hand on his shoulder as he suggests. "Dean, come on. Save it for the ring, man."

Dean takes a few deep breaths as he briefly thinks it through.

Yeah, _no._ He calmly takes Reigns' hand off his shoulder as he steps towards the green-clad agent.

Ambrose spreads his arms out to rest his hands on both sides of the doorway, as he stares down at the agent, slightly calmer than when he started in this discussion. At a surprising 6 foot 4, Dean Ambrose towers over her by just a few inches, in comparison to the operative known only as Black Orchid, who stands at 5 foot 10, which is certainly above the average height of a regular female fighter.

"Look... I don't think you want someone like me messin' with you. I've hurt a lot of people, maybe more than you have." Dean reminds his opposer, speaking softly in his more relaxed state. "And in fact, I don't really _want_ to mess with you until we hit the ring later on. Either we can leave this little argument behind and carry on 'til we get there... or we can deal with it right now and get it over with."

Dean then holds his right hand out towards Orchid, teasingly caressing her chin in a slightly pathetic attempt to assure her. He speaks in an even softer tone than before. "Make a choice, sweetheart."

 _Quite a mistake he's made._

Responding so abruptly that it nearly scares the crap out of Dean, Orchid suddenly snatches him by the wrist of the hand feeling her face, reels it back, and twists him around...

...slamming him face-first into the metal lining of the doorway, as she keeps him locked down with one hand forced behind his back in a hammerlock.

It isn't the most noticeable element that he senses, but Dean can swear he hears a brief but fairly demented chuckle from the woman he's dealing with, and it's clear that he's stuck in her grasp, now that he seems to have angered her. At this point, he doesn't bother to struggle too much, as he doesn't expect to escape at this point.

"Dean, I don't think _you_ know who you're messing with." Orchid states, still sounding tranquil in her tone, but it's still clear that she's snapped a bit.

Ambrose twists his head to look back at his Samoan best friend. "Uh, Rome? L-little help?" Oddly enough, he still doesn't sound too distressed, despite this situation.

The subsequent glare in Orchid's eyes burning into him after Dean's very brief call for help causes Reigns to step back, a little intimidated. He shakes his head as he responds. "Sorry man."

With Roman out of the way for the moment, Orchid continues, asking the so-called 'lunatic'... "So you said you've hurt people? Have you ever _killed?_ _I_ have. I've killed beasts before. A bit of advice? Try not to make me do the same _to you_."

Ambrose chooses to still make with the quips, even with the risk of a broken arm, or maybe death, as it seems that Orchid is threatening him with. "Feisty one, eh?" He retorts in the face of danger. "Chicks like you deserve a spanking..."

Suddenly- _ **SMACK!**_

Dean's face is promptly smacked into the metallic bar of the doorway, nearly splitting his head open.

Orchid twists Dean's head back as she leans in closer to his ears. "That enough for you to learn?"

Ambrose shrugs off the pain. " _Maybe._ "

And maybe Orchid was set to deliver a bit more pain to the Lunatic Fringe, maybe snap an arm if necessary, if she didn't catch another person standing outside the room, watching what's going down.

Kevin Owens, once again, emerges into another situation in the backstage area. Last time, he could've caused Star Butterfly to get into a backstage brawl with the bloodied and angry Aria Blaze before the Sunset Shimmer/New Jack fight.

He seems a little impatient, too, with what was going on with Dean and Orchid.

"What are you lookin' at?" Owens proclaims towards the crazed agent. "Just snap his neck and get it over with. It'd certainly do _me_ a favor..."

Orchid has already dealt with Owens before, yesterday, in the eve of the official beginning of the Tournament of Fate. Unfortunately, she was also on the wrong side of punishment that day as a result of the Canadian bastard.

Letting Ambrose go, but not before throwing him down, Black Orchid approaches Kevin Owens, nearly backing him into the wall on the opposite side of where Dean and Roman's locker room was.

"This doesn't concern you." She warns him.

"Sounds like someone needs another trip to the floor." Kevin scoffs.

Orchid throws a punch, and it is quickly denied by Owens, who instead manages to pin _her_ against a wall. Seems to serve her right for doing the same to Ambrose just moments prior.

Both Orchid and Owens are quite noticeably frustrated with each other's presence, growling against each other.

"Oh knock it off, will ya?"

However, the clear tone of the Irish-accented voice towards Kevin catches his attention.

Finn Balor is clearly unamused with the conflicts standing in his way. Naturally following close by, Bayley looks a little concerned, internally preferring they hug it out.

"Save your _shite_ for the ring, Kev." Balor bluntly utters.

The hate transferring towards the NXT Champion and his bubbly friend, Kevin takes his hands off of Orchid, shaking his head as he begins to leave.

"Whatever..." Kevin plainly speaks as he turns around and walks off, towards where the arena – and the ring – are.

Sliding down into a seated position on the floor, Orchid looks up towards Balor. "...Thanks." She doesn't sound the most grateful, but she must feel relieved in her mind.

"What was... all _that_ about?" The curious Bayley asks.

Dean sits back up, nose slightly bleeding from the brute force brought upon him by the green-clad agent that assaulted him.

"Whatever it was," Ambrose speaks, "I'm glad it didn't end in hate-fuckin'."

Roman looks down at his friend, bewildered by his statement. Balor and Bayley look oddly confused themselves. _What the fuck kind of statement was that?_

"...Sorry." Dean briefly apologizes, afterwards pointing at his head. "That's probably the head trauma talkin'."

* * *

 _("Fight" - CFO$)_

The starting riffs of the next theme to play out into the arena has been established to the crowd full of fans, as they begin a chorus of mostly boos.

" **The following is the second-to-last first-round match of the Tournament of Fate, contested under Extreme Rules... introducing first, from Marieville, Quebec, Canada, weighing in at 266 pounds... Kevin Owens!"**

The Canadian prizefighter lumbers out onto the stage, a permanent frown wiped across his face as he looks out into the crowd. The WWE Intercontinental Championship is gripped in his left hand, slightly dragged across the floor of the stage.

"Another familiar face in the eyes of the WWE Universe, not to mention the rest of the wrestling fanbase." Joey Styles states. "He's a scumbag to these fans, no doubt about it, but he knows a lot about manhandling someone in the ring."

Jim Ross lists extensively... "He's been to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Combat Zone Wrestling, All American Wrestling, Capital City Championship Combat, Ring of Honor, to NXT, and now he's risen up some rankings in the WWE, and has become an Intercontinental Championship _twice_ in less than a year of being on the main roster."

"Kevin doesn't give two shits about what the fans want; he's more focused on helping out his family, no matter how much of an asshole he can be to others. Whatever it takes, man..." Tazz says.

"Now, he's entering _another_ new promotion in Ultimatum Wrestling Underground, in this Tournament of Fate. He might join fellow wrestlers in Daniel Bryan and Brock Lesnar if he gets past his opponent tonight." Jim Ross speaks up again.

Entering the ring, Kevin reclines into the top right corner. No fucks given. Just bring on the opponent.

…

Suddenly, a _deep_ inhalation sounds off across the arena, as the lights turn to shades of red all around. The crowd fades into cheers.

 _("Catch Your Breath" - CFO$)_

" **And his opponent... from Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland, weighing in at 190 pounds... Finn Balor!"**

The Irish NXT Champion emerges onto the stage in his unzipped leather jacket, the bronzeish-gold X-shaped belt wrapped around him underneath it.

A fellow champion in her own right, even wearing the NXT Women's Championship herself alongside the NXT Champion, Bayley continues to accompany Finn Balor, all the way to the ring. Surprisingly, the ring gear she wears underneath the dark-purple " **I'm A Hugger** " shirt isn't as eye-catchingly noticeable in the dark red lighting.

"From New Japan to NXT, Finn Balor has wowed audiences from the East to the West." Jim Ross expounds. "There's a good reason why he became NXT Champion, alongside the likes of Seth Rollins and even his opponent for tonight, Kevin Owens."

As Balor extends his arms alongside his fans ( _and even Bayley joins in on it_ ) to bring in the heavenly lights, Tazz comments, "Man, the Irish, they're quite the tough guys. Even the scrawnier guys like Balor, they're pretty feisty fuckin' fighters."

"Both these guys have a big opportunity in front of them, entering a type of battle that's a bit different from what the WWE or NXT delivers." Joey Styles states. "This has the possibility of heading into some extreme territory, like we've seen in many matches before in this tournament. Some chairs, maybe some tables, perhaps some light tubes or _fire_ , considering past bouts. This could be another classic..."

Climbing onto the turnbuckle, Balor rises up against with arms wide open, lights going a bright white twice more, before he drops back down. At this point, Kevin Owens is back out at ringside as Finn enters the ring.

Balor stands in the middle of the ring, embracing the cheers of the crowd…

...only for Owens to suddenly slide back in and _low-blow_ him from behind!

"And _Kevin_ –!" Jim Ross abruptly shouts as the jab to the sack makes impact. "Taking the advantage, in a very unheroic manner..."

Watching Balor drop down to the ground after the dirty strike below the belt, Owens turns around and leans into the ropes, glaring daggers at Bayley, who's incredibly worried about the NXT Champion's situation in the beginning of this match.

Earl Hebner has to back Owens back up before he rings the bell...

* * *

 **Nearing the end of the first round of the Tournament of Fate... this is gonna be _good_.**

 **Until next time.**


	16. Update: Character bios

**Hey there, fans. Don't worry, chapter uploads will still be at a regular, unscheduled pace, but I wanted give you a little intel on what I've been typing out for UWU when the company's show itself begins to be uploaded following the end of the Tournament of Fate saga.**

 **I've started writing up bios on some of the characters, so that those who don't know some of the characters involved can get a bit of a brief lesson through these bios. They tell you the look of the character, their fighting style/three most notable traits, their finishing and signature moves and the theme they use.**

 **Here's two I've made so far: one for the WWE's** **Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar, and another for the fictional ass-kicking sweetheart in Star Butterfly.**

* * *

 **Name:** Brock Lesnar **  
Birthplace:** Webster, South Dakota  
 **Residence:** Maryfield, Saskatchewan, Canada (Formerly Minneapolis, Minnesota  
 **Franchise of origin/notability:** World Wrestling Entertainment/Ultimate Fighting Championship  
 **Weight/height:** 286 lb/6 ft 3 in  
 **Trademark look:** Knee-length shorts (generally black, but usually two-tone colors + sponsors), MMA-style padded gloves, black boots  
 **Main traits:** Cocky, Destructive, Intense

 **Nickname:** The Beast, "My Client" (as said by Paul Heyman)  
 **Fighting Style:** MMA hybrid/suplex expert  
 **Theme:** "Next Big Thing" - Jim Johnston  
 **Finishers:** F5, Kimura Lock  
 **Signatures:** Suplex City (assorted suplexes, usually German suplexes), triple powerbomb, Brock Lock/Stretch Muffler

" _Suplex City, bitch!"_

 **Yes, Heyman, we get it; your client Brock Lesnar conquered the Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania. However, even with Heyman gloating on every chance he gets, it seems to truly prove a point, as he did what no one else did at WrestleMania; beat the Undertaker. Brock Lesnar has a lot of background in his wrestling skills, such as a brief time in the NFL, and years of experience in MMA fighting thanks to the UFC, a company in which he won championships in, much like the WWE, where he defeated many a superstar, including The Rock, Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker, and became a WWE World Heavyweight Champion in the snap of a finger (and about 16 suplexes), with Paul Heyman backing him the whole way through. If you ever stand in the way of Lesnar, just remember that the trip to Suplex City and back will not be without a sore neck or back.**

* * *

 **Name:** Star Butterfly **  
Hometown:** Mewni **  
Franchise of origin/notability:** Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil **  
Weight/height:** Unknown **  
Trademark look:** Red-horned headband, greenish-blue dress, pink/purple leggings, spike-toed purple boots **  
Main traits:** Happy-Go-Lucky, Charismatic, Eccentric

 **Nickname:** The Princess of Mewni, Princess of Disaster  
 **Fighting Style:** Technician/high-flier  
 **Theme:** "Space Unicorn" - Parry Gripp  
 **Finishers:** The Butterfly Effect (back-to-belly piledriver)  
 **Signatures:** Rhinoceros Punt (Running punt kick to a crouched opponent), springboard double-stomp/dropkick, electric chair drop/suplex

 **It's a weird world we live in where a teenage girl from another dimension could kick your ass to kingdom come and back; the princess of Mewni has come to UWU to hone her skills away from home, with the intention to achieve enough experience with her magic want to prevent any disasters from happening back home. On the other hand, she has surprisingly good brawling skills, and an odd amount of strength to come along with it.**

* * *

 **I kinda like these little bios. I think, for most notable characters, I'll have a brief little bio for them put up before they head into their first match in the UWU Universe, on the shows after the Tournament of Fate wraps up.**

 **Stay tuned for Chapter 16, with Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor, coming soon. (** ** _Don't know whether to make it a two-parter or a one-part bout, though...)_**


	17. R1: Finn Balor vs Kevin Owens part 1

**Tournament of Fate, Round 1  
Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens _  
Part 1_**

 **In random news, it turns out I've been spelling " _enzuigiri_ " wrong. Well then. Onto the match we go, then...**

* * *

Balor only has a few more seconds to recover from the low-blow he received from his opponent in Owens, before the bell rings. It's thankful he was at least given _some_ time to recover.

The bell rings, and the two immediately charge at one another, colliding in the middle of the ring, as Balor jumps at Owens with a swift dropkick to the chest.

"And here we go! One fall to a finish in this bout, and Balor is trying to keep up after that blatant early attack from Kevin Owens!" Jim Ross proclaims, as Kevin braces the dropkick, blocking out a bit of the damage with his stout chest.

Balor rolls back over, and runs again, with Kevin doing the same.

This time, Owens manages to rush in like a train, and knocks down Balor like a tubby wall flying at his face. Finn rolls back to his previous position once again, this time dodging a clothesline from Kevin as he runs past him, back turned away from him as he jumps with a back-flip, for a quick Pele kick...

...only for Owens to catch him in a wheelbarrow position, as he lifts the 'Real Rock and Rolla' up, lets his body bounce off the ropes...

...and throws him across with a mean German suplex in the center of the ring!

"German suplex!" Joey Styles exclaims as Finn Balor's head, neck and back bounce across the bright-grayish white of the ring mat.

"Can we say that's shades of Brock Lesnar?" Tazz suggests, as Balor flops onto his front on the ring canvas.

Kevin quickly rises in the bottom left corner of the ring, while Balor is much slower to get up, after that German suplex across the ring from the Canadian. Bayley, counting on Balor to get the victory over Owens, never takes her eyes off the Irishman, as she keeps her space at ringside, standing next to the ring apron.

As soon as Finn is able to stand properly again, he rushes in one more time.

This time, he gets into a collar-and-elbow position with Owens, and they quickly back each other into the bottom left corner.

In the middle of the tie-up, Owens plants a couple knee strikes to the gut of Balor, but there isn't much of a transition to come out of that until a few seconds after.

Owens rolls up behind Balor, belly to back. Balor quickly turns it the other way, by wrapping an arm around Kevin's neck and flipping himself over, getting in that same position with him in charge. The average WWE fan would get a chuckle out if he suddenly did a Salida Del Sol, but Finn Balor certainly isn't a Lucha Dragon.

Owens rushes in reverse, with Balor on his back, falling back in an attempt to roll his opponent off his back.

It nearly twists into a roll-up, as Finn still clings onto Kevin, slowly transitioning into a dragon-sleeper hold on Kevin once they both end up on their feet again.

Adapting and responding, Owens twists everything around, almost a complete 180, as he forces Balor under his right arm...

...and drops him on his back with a sidewalk slam. Kevin is back up once again, as he runs back at Balor...

...and jumps on him with a senton! ( _And one crazy fan marks out,_ _"AHH BIG BOY SENTON!"_ )

"BIG senton!" Joey shouts as Kevin immediately guns for the cover.

 **1! _Immediate_ kick out from Balor...**

"However, it's gonna take a _lot_ more than that to take _him_ down." Tazz mentions, as Owens catches Balor into a headlock.

"Oof... and now we slow things down..." Jim Ross calmly comments, as Owens slowly wears Balor down in this rest-hold.

"I think they call him the Headlock Master... yeah, I can see why." Tazz randomly quips.

Given the suddenly speedy pace of the first couple of minutes, there's no wonder why the Canadian has to conserve his energy for the match's later periods.

"Kevin Owens, a former NXT Champion, going against the current NXT Champion in Balor. Although this can be considered a WWE-branded bout... under a roof arranged by Paul Heyman, it isn't exactly the same kind of landscape." JR notes, toning himself down to match the serene and leisure pace of the headlock going on in the ring.

…

Finn Balor slowly struggles, as Bayley continues to cheer him on from ringside.

…

Balor jabs Owens with an elbow... two elbows...!

...And he breaks off the Quebecian's headlock, forcing him off and pushing him into the top right corner of the ring.

Owens is backed into the turnbuckles for a brief moment. He slowly the back-turned Balor, who jumps, attempting another Pele Kick...!

...but the Irish wrestler doesn't at all connect.

He ends up belly-flopping onto the canvas as Kevin casually steps back. The reckless family-man reclines into the top right corner, faking a yawn, as Balor pushes himself off the canvas, glaring back at his Quebec-born opponent in annoyance.

"Kevin Owens sayin' 'Try again, brotha.'" Tazz informally quips.

However, just as Owens gets a bit too full of himself in his relaxation, Finn springs up to his feet and rushes him. Owens is _way_ too slow to react, as Balor leaps up, and clocks him in the side of the head with a hard enzuigiri!

" **Oooh!** And I guess he's payin' for it!" Tazz adds onto his previous comment.

Finn snapmares Owens out of the corner following the enzuigiri, leaving him in a seated position. Balor bounces off the ropes to Owens' right, hopping down low for a dropkick...

...but KO quickly lays his upper-body down to dodge the kick.

Immediately after the evasion, Kevin sits back up, like a poor man's Undertaker, and grabs Balor from behind before he has the chance to get up off the failed dropkick.

…

After a shit-ton of consistent adjustments as he climbs back up to his feet, Owens tosses Balor across with _another_ German suplex!

"Think he's channeling his inner Brock Lesnar; I love it!" Tazz excitedly proclaims.

"Well, I might like the fluidity of the suplex, but not so much the guy performing it." Joey Styles considers.

Rather than continue ahead on the punishment, Owens faces away from where Balor lies, and plays against the crowd. " _That's how I'm the champ!_ " He boasts, reminding the audience of his current status as WWE's Intercontinental Champion. He's basically implying that he's the only true champion in this match, despite the NXT title perhaps being a slightly better prize in terms of prestige.

Standing in the direction of his boasting, Bayley is not too pleased, understanding Owens' status as a sort of bully to some.

Walking back to the bottom left side of the ring, Kevin picks Finn up, and prepares to throw him into the top left corner...

...but Balor counters, twisting around to capture Owens, before slamming his head into the padding of the top turnbuckle in that corner of the ring. After a few more head-slams into the turnbuckle, nearly tearing the black pad off of it, Finn backs up, taking a path straight across to the bottom right corner.

He grabs the ropes on both sides of the top turnbuckle, and squats down to build up a little more energy...

He rushes back, across the ring...

…and as Owens _moves out of the way_ , Balor jumps up, wanting to go for a double-stomp to the back of KO's head. However, as he ends up finding himself only stomping on the turnbuckle, he ends up landing on it...

...before jumping onto Owens with a moonsault press!

"Change of plans, as the moonsault connects!" Joey proclaims, as Balor forces Owens down for the cover...

 **1! 2—Kick out, right at 2!**

The kick-out comes across when Owens forces his weight on Balor, managing to pile over his size-disadvantaged challenger.

…

After some bending and moving around... Kevin gets a hold onto Finn's legs... before slowly transitioning into a fluid figure-four leglock!

Some _woo_ 's in the crowd as Owens gets the leglock on Balor.

"Another one added to the list of wrestlers who pretty much have made The Nature Boy Ric Flair proud at one point or another..." Joey Styles proclaims.

Although the submission was cinched in tight, just remember that the match has only begun minutes ago.

At some point, in the midst of the figure-four, Finn's struggles in terms of escaping the hold results in both him and Kevin briefly rolling, completing a brief but sudden 360-degree spin before reverting to the original position of the figure-four leglock.

However, KO decides to release the hold on his own terms, refusing Balor the satisfaction of escape.

"Looks like he doesn't plan to make him tap out. At least, _not yet._ " JR acknowledges the released submission hold.

Once again, Owens takes his time to shout abuse at the audience, facing away from his opponent as he looks out into the crowd ( _and at the hardcam that is considered the main camera angle for the broadcast of this bout_ ). This gives Balor some time to recover, grasping onto the ropes.

After giving the crowd more of a reason to hate him, Owens turns around, and immediately rushes in, extending a leg for a superkick...

...only for Balor to move out of the way. Kevin manages to avoid wrapping himself in the ropes, but as he turns around...

...one of Balor's feet make contact, with a successful Pele kick!

"Pele! The Pele kick connects!" Jim Ross exclaims.

After the toes connect with Kevin's skull with a loud _smack_ , Owens tumbles through the ropes and crashes to the outside. Knowing the danger in front of her at ringside, Bayley takes a few steps back. The NXT Women's Champion is not willing to risk poking the angry Canadian, and no hug is going to be able to mend any mental wounds that Kevin Owens may have at this point.

Meanwhile, in the ring, Balor sits on one knee as he carefully lines himself up with where Owens is standing at ringside.

"What could... what could Finn Balor be planning here?" Jim Ross wonders.

That question is set to be answered fairly quickly, as Balor turns away, running into the ropes on the opposite side of the ring.

...

He rebounds off those ropes, runs back with the increased momentum off the rebound, dives over the top rope...

...and lands onto...!

... _nothing_.

He lands back-first onto the floor, as Owens slides back into the ring with some surprisingly quick reflexes.

"The _tope con hilo!_ … but... he didn't quite get all of it..." Joey at first shouts as Finn is mid-air, but the other half of the sentence is a genuine lament when Balor completely misses the dive.

"A high-risk maneuver with no reward in sight..." JR states, as Bayley scampers over to Balor to try and help him up.

In the ring, Owens stares at the duo of NXT Champions for a brief moment. He nods, ready to go ahead with whatever he's got planned next.

In a similar fashion to what Finn was trying to go for, Kevin turns the other way...

...rushes into the ropes...

...runs in for a _dive_...!

... _and slides out of the ring_.

Yeah, like he would ever tend to please the fans. It was too late for them back when he was working for Pro Wrestling Guerilla and Ring of Honor.

Generating some choice bad-guy heat with the teased and denied high-spot, Owens approaches Balor, grabs him, and throws him back into the ring, all while shoving Bayley out of the way in the process.

"Kevin Owens always loves to play the bad guy, doesn't he?" Joey Styles proclaims.

"If it means helping out his family, why wouldn't he love it?" Tazz responds.

Before re-entering the squared-circle himself, Kevin takes a moment to focus on the Women's Champion at ringside. Bayley looks mighty displeased with Owens' presence at ringside, but yet she refuses to try and attack him, regardless of any no-disqualification stipulations that an Extreme Rules match puts on this bout between Owens and Balor. The size difference is clear.

"Tensions rising... Kevin doesn't give two shits about Balor or Bayley, and vice versa for them." Joey mentions. "Stretching all the way back to NXT last year, on the very end of Kevin Owens' time as a competitor down there."

"Well, 's just here to support Finn Balor, it seems, and even if this isn't a WWE ring, the bad blood still lingers." Jim Ross adds onto Styles' comment.

Breaking off the eye-to-eye contact with the NXT Women's Champion, Owens looks towards the ring apron as he flips it up and looks under the ring.

Re-emerging with a steel chair, of a grayish-green color instead of the standard pitch-black, Owens points the chair towards Bayley.

"Not gonna do shit, huh?" He speaks towards her, giving her a chance to respond if she really wants to.

Still pissed, but still not willing to take the risk just yet, Bayley doesn't say or do anything other than glare daggers at the Canadian prizefighter in disapproval. It's noticeable, the lingering fear in her head, and in her eyes as well.

KO shakes his head. "Yeah, that's what I thought..."

And so, the match continues in the ring...

* * *

 **Will the Hugger take action against the Headlock Master eventually? Does Kevin Owens truly have the match in the bag now that he has that steel chair? Will that weirdo on Twitter get his penis off of that McChicken and stop scaring the internet?**

 **Find out in the next chapter! Until next time...!**

 **...But seriously though, don't make love to a McChicken. _Disgusting._**


	18. R1: Finn Balor vs Kevin Owens part 2

**Tournament of Fate, Round 1  
Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens  
 _Part 2_**

 **If this chapter is released later than usual, then blame school. _Even later_ than you'd think I'd be because of school, blame any potential jobs I may have picked up on the side... either that or blame me just having a few unfocused days. Which can still be blamed on school.**

* * *

"I don't think the thoughts that Owens gets when he gets a steel chair are very wholesome. Especially when facing Finn Balor..." Joey Styles mentions, a bit worried for Balor.

Kevin Owens looms over Finn Balor, waiting for him to get up, as he holds the pale chair in his right hand.

…

A jab to the gut of Balor with the chair, as Kevin follows up by forcing Balor into the front necklock position.

..However, Balor battles against the DDT-on-the-chair attempt, punching Kevin in the stomach a couple times to stagger him...

...before turning the match around by throwing Kevin over, taking him down with a Northern Lights suplex onto the steel chair!

"And Balor counters the Prizefighter's tactics with a _smooth_ Northern Lights onto the chair!" Joey proclaims.

For a second, Earl Hebner sees some sort of pinfall, and goes to count it, but Balor flips himself back over, on top of Owens' supine body.

Having to force the Canadian of a larger weight than him back up onto his feet, Finn forces himself to exert more of his core strength to lift Owens...

...as Balor gets into a front necklock position of his own, and hooks Owens' left arm. The fans, familiar with the NXT Champion's moveset, know what might be coming...

...only for Owens to refuse being lifted, shifting his weight to reject the move that Balor just tried for.

"Whatever Finn Balor is trying for doesn't seem to be working just yet." Jim Ross notes.

Fighting out of the predicament he found himself in, KO forces Balor over the top rope and out of the ring. Luckily, Balor manages to land on his feet, although he might have slightly tweaked one of his ankles upon landing, as he nearly falls to one knee.

"And Balor, now thrown back to the outside..." JR comments.

"Whoa, careful, man, don't fuck up your leg..." Tazz promptly alerts Balor, noticing him nearly take a tumble on the outside. One would doubt that Finn would hear the New York commentator...

Balor leans against the barricade, as Owens looks on, across from the middle of the ring. KO doesn't even bother to leave the ring, instead preferring the match just continue inside the squared-circle as usual.

"Well, the match _is_ falls-count-anywhere... but it doesn't seem like Kevin cares. Typical Kevin Owens behavior, as usual..." Joey mentions.

"KO does what KO does. It's that simple." Tazz quips.

Meanwhile, Kevin keeps just a slight bit more distance from Finn's location, backing up against the ropes on the opposite side of the ring.

However, as Owens stands towards the ropes, on the opposite side of the ring and ringside area that Balor is recovering in...

...he suddenly finds himself falling on his face!

As it turns out, while he wasn't looking, Bayley has made herself a useful companion for Finn Balor for the first time in this match, grabbing Owens by one of his legs, and pulling him down, letting gravity sweep him down!

"Oh, and Bayley-! The Hugger brings Owens down to size!" Jim Ross exclaims. "But I think it might have just pissed him off!"

The unneeded trip, while proving to surprise him, doesn't keep Owens down for long, as he immediately springs back up to his feet, and turns around towards Bayley, who backs away towards the upper-left corner of the ringside barricades. The NXT Women's Champion, despite being confronted by the Canadian prizefighter, seems to have gotten a bit of a laugh out of taking him down for just a split second.

" _You wanna play jokes, huh?! You little fucker!_ " Kevin rages out at Bayley. " _Stay outta this!_ "

However, just as Owens turns back around, he finds himself deflecting a steel chair being thrown at him...

...only for Balor to clock Owens again with an enzuigiri to the side of the head! The Irish wrestler has managed to find his pace again!

"Enzuigiri! Balor finding his composure again!" JR proclaims.

"Yeah, and if that isn't bad enough...!" Tazz notes, as Balor grabs Owens and rolls him up in a small-package pin.

 **1! 2! Kick out!**

Kevin defies the sudden roll-up. Oddly enough, despite having escaped the possibility of losing the match again, Owens pounds a fist down on the ring mat.

"I think Owens might be a little salty after Bayley brought him down a notch!" Joey Styles implies.

"If someone who is considered as 'cute and cuddly' as Bayley ever tripped me like that back when I was workin' bingo halls in ECW, I would be pissed too... not so much as to put 'em in the Tazzmission, but they'd know." Tazz utters. "They'd know they messed with the Human Suplex Machine..."

Quickly getting up, Finn Balor backs into the top left corner of the ring, waiting for his opponent to get in the right position...

…

Balor makes a quick run for it, going for a dropkick or a stomp on Owens...

...only for Owens to catch him in mid-air with a mean superkick to the jaw!

"The superkick! The superkick!" Joey repeats, a bit excited over the surprising counter-action by Kevin Owens. "Owens plants Balor in the _mouth_ with that kick!"

"That might kick a few teeth out of line!" Jim Ross additionally proclaims.

"Kevin Owens goin' all over the place with his moveset tonight; a little Brock Lesnar, a little Ric Flair, a little Young Bucks or Shawn Michaels or whatevuh, he's got a lot in 'im!" Tazz continues on with the commentary.

Back to focusing on the ring, Owens briefly falls down to the mat, as he slowly rolls out to ringside after the superkick that took a lot out of Balor.

"Kevin Owens, in full control, and ready to perhaps advance to the next phase of the plan he has in his mental mindset." JR commentates, as Owens stands around ringside for a brief moment.

Ready to bring on further pain to his opponent, Owens looks back under the ring for another weapon.

In comes another brown-tinted table, confirming this as the third match to feature the breakable piece of wooden furniture ( _and the second match in a row after Roman Reigns vs. Scorpion_ ).

"We got more wood enterin' the fray!" Tazz proclaims, ready to see what comes next for the table. "This is slowly becomin' Dudleyville!"

"Not exactly, when it comes to just three tables so far. Now, if it was a dozen tables in a single match, that would probably be enough for you to consider this match under Dudleyville Rules." Joey Styles responds to Tazz's ECW-nostalgia fueled excitement.

Owens brings the table into the ring, internally chuckling over the eventual shortening of the wooden object's quote-unquote 'lifespan'. _No wonder why the New Day wanted to 'save the tables'._

Fortunately for the table, its involvement as a weapon in the match will have to wait, as KO grabs Balor and picks him up by the head, ready to unleash another devastating move on the Ireland-born.

...

All of a sudden, Finn slaps Owens' hands away, and hops for another rough but swift enzuigiri to his head!

"Balor _counters!_ And now Kevin Owens is open for some punishment!" Jim Ross proclaims, as Balor crouches down after the enzuigiri and grabs the steel chair.

Finn, that steel chair in his hands, continues what JR is considering 'punishment' on Owens by smacking him several times with the object. First to his shoulder, then to the back, and then, after Owens falls down to his knees, trying to cling onto the ropes for a way to escape, Balor throws the chair at the back of his head.

Continuing to watch at ringside, Bayley winces with each slam of the chair on Owens, but in her head, she's relieved that the chair is getting the job done; the job being as an equalizer to help Finn Balor fight back.

The chair swung around in each successful connection with _real_ force, further enhancing the desperation in the NXT Champion's mind to win in the first round of the Tournament of Fate.

"After that, Owens has got to be a bit more worried now!" Joey Styles assumes.

"Maybe it was a bad idea to be so cocky heading into this match." Tazz considers.

Physically damaged ( _and to a lesser extent, also a bit mentally damaged_ ) by the chair, the Intercontinental Champion in Kevin Owens is left with much of the momentum swiped away from him, as he climbs back up to his feet at the top right corner of the ring.

It must be a bit of a blurry sight after the damage from the full-throttle chair shots, but Owens doesn't seem to notice entirely what's running at him...

...as Balor sprints straight from the bottom left corner, across the ring with an impactful dropkick to the chest!

"Balor in control! One hell of a dropkick from him, sending Owens down!" Joey continues the commentary, hyped with the momentum shift."

KO again flops back into his corner, as Balor runs back to his starting position on the opposite side...

...and dropkicks Owens _again!_ This time, with Owens falling down into a seated position, Balor connects with the dropkick to the face!

The second dropkick forces Kevin to roll out of the corner, as he holds his face in agonizing pain. Let's be hopeful that nothing on his face was broken off of Balor's face-targetting dropkick.

Meanwhile, Finn looks across the arena, with the array of screaming fans, both fans of the sports and casual citizens looking to see some action. The chanting of his name rings true, as he begins to climb the turnbuckle. The cheering grows just a little bit louder, as the vast majority of the audience know what's coming up next...

"Finn Balor, beginning to go up top!" Jim Ross observes the Irishman's ascension up the turnbuckles.

"Uh-oh! Time for the endgame right here!" Tazz realizes, sensing a possible end for the Canadian prizefighter.

"Kevin Owens is down and out; could this be the opening that Finn Balor needs for the _Coup De Gr_ _â_ _ce_?" Joey Styles heightens the suspense...

stands tall on the top turnbuckle, focusing entirely on his downed opponent, ready for a rib-crushing stomp...

...he jumps!

...and lands on nothing. _Wait what?_

All of a sudden, Kevin Owens goes from being in absolute pain, to rolling out of the ring, almost as if it was nothing. This results in Finn Balor missing the _Coup De Grâce_ , but at least he manages to land on his feet without any trouble.

In fact, that dropkick might as well have been nothing, as Owens laughs at Balor's poor timing on the double-stomp. Balor shakes his head, quite annoyed with the cockiness and flat-out trolling from his opponent, and even Bayley takes a moment to facepalm, vexed mostly with herself for not seeing any indication of Owens robbing Balor of a potential spot for victory. Even by the Hugger's standards, Owens is just being a dickhead to everyone.

"Well... can't say I blame anyone for not seeing that coming. A classic tale of playing possum." Jim Ross, just as annoyed as the rest of us, states.

"Just be glad this isn't an ECW crowd; at some point, with that kind of crowd, this arena would get showered with chairs!" Joey Styles comments.

It's practically fallen to a minor stalemate, as Owens stays at ringside, drinking in the hate from the fans who would rather eat literal shit than respect him. Although there are _some_ who do enjoy his mindgames, as some of the slight cheers that can be heard, only faintly over the massive jeers, can prove.

Kevin seems to especially prefer bragging to the front-row seaters, knowing that the vast majority of these fans probably wouldn't be able to take him down so easily.

…

However, what Kevin excels in terms of playing a true heel to the audience, he seems to lack a bit in terms of keeping his focus on his opponent...

...as the very next thing he sees, once he turns around...

…is Finn Balor running at him, _jumping over the ropes_...!

Right at that moment, JR shouts, "Look out!"

Once Balor makes contact with Owens with the _tope con hilo_ , they both crash into the barricade, with Balor even tumbling over the wall and nearly landing on some of the fans of the first couple rows!

"Oh my god, what a dive!" Joey Styles exclaims.

"There we go!" Tazz proclaims. "Only took a couple tries, but he manages to connect!"

It's quite a relief that there was not much in terms of damages towards the crowd, especially with the surprisingly quick reflexes of fans in attendance these days.

Jim Ross states, following Balor's flight out onto ringside, "Finn Balor...! With that... that swan-dive onto Kevin Owens... taking a high risk and paying off _incredibly_!"

"He may have not gotten the _Coup De Grâce_ ," Joey mentions, "but he's making up for it with that, one way or another!"

Tazz considers, "Guess Kevin should've stayed focused on Balor, instead of being devoted to being a wise-ass to the fans."

Sure, Balor has managed to succeed in his leap onto Owens, unlike earlier in the bout, but now they're both temporarily out of commission, with Owens quite legitimately down for the count after the senton bomb dive, and Balor literally having flung himself into the audience. Who will come out on top after _this_ highlight-worthy moment?

* * *

 **Suddenly, cliffhanger!**

 **No seriously. I was actually considering going on long for this chapter (about 3000 words or so, maybe stretch it to make it the first 4K+-word chapter of Act 2) to end this match as a two-parter. Then I guess I got a bit too devoted to the action, and I felt like I should just spread the match out a bit more so the readers can at least get some slightly more consistent updates. Not that school isn't really slowing me down, regardless of what I typed out at the very top of the chapter, more that I have several different interests that I enjoy jumping between, between TEW2016, YouTube, other ongoing stories, et cetera.**

 **After a spot like that, it almost feels like a place for a commercial break, but since this is a fanfiction story, it's a place for one part of a multi-part sequence to end.**

 **Until next time, everyone...**


	19. R1: Finn Balor vs Kevin Owens part 3

**Tournament of Fate, Round 1  
Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens  
 _Part 3_**

 **The first match I've written in this series to reach a third part. Probably not the last, especially with Dean Ambrose vs. Black Orchid as the final match of the first round following Balor vs. Owens. At this point, that match in the near future _will_ be split in a minimum of two parts, but I haven't decided fully if it will go further than that.**

* * *

It's been about half a minute of the crowd letting out a brief "HOLY SHIT" chant, as Finn Balor begins to recover from his dive, slumped over the barricade as he begins to climb over the four-foot wall of black padding. Bayley, although impressed by the bird-of-prey effort that helped bring Owens down on the outside, is still a bit concerned for Balor as she looks on from across to the other side of the ringside area.

"If you're just tuning in, we're somewhere past the halfway point of the Tournament of Fate's first round..." Jim Ross makes any new viewers aware, "...and at the time being, the NXT Champion Finn Balor has just put his body to the test with that suicide-dive senton, trying to keep Kevin Owens at bay here."

"It's gone pretty well for Balor in that situation, but from the looks of it, he's been brought down to Earth _just_ as hard as Owens has." Joey Styles additionally notes.

Meanwhile, back at ringside, Balor gets himself back over the security wall that separates the wrestlers from the fans. There is a faint increase in cheers from the crowd as this goes on.

"...but it looks like it won't keep him down for long..." Joey continues as he notices Balor's slow but sure recovery from that stunt at ringside.

Finn grabs Kevin by the back of his shirt and plucks him off the floor, having to lift his heavier opposition up a bit just to force him back into the apron, and to push him into the ring right after.

Owens rolls a couple times as he is pushed back into the ring, rolling towards the center. Recovery is a _must-do_ plan for Kevin, if he needs to get back into this after the plancha.

However, Balor already seems to be thinking for another attempt at the _Coup De Grâce_ , as he jumps up to the ring apron and climbs up the bottom left corner of the ring, with Owens' body adjusted well enough for that move to target him perfectly in the middle of the ring.

"Finn Balor, heading to the top again!" Good Ol' JR comments as Balor climbs up the turnbuckles.

"Seems to be looking for the _Coup De Grâce_ once again!" Joey implies.

"Well, if his—well, his big dive worked wonders on the second try, maybe somethin' good will come out of trying this on the second time around." Tazz predicts as Balor stands atop the top rope.

The NXT Champion has eyes to finish, crossing his hands in front of him to focus and breathe in, before jumping for the _big_ double-stomp.

And then Kevin Owens suddenly kips up.

"Wait, what?!" Joey leans back in surprise, briefly startled by Owens' sudden upswing.

All of a sudden, Owens springs back to his feet, proving himself as just a bit more durable as one would expect out of someone heading into this match. Although he still seems a bit achy, a bit sore, as he shakes his head briefly to try and get back into his situation completely.

And once again, Balor is metaphorically cock-blocked from his finishing blow by the Intercontinental Champion. He keeps his balance on the turnbuckle as he stares down from above, shaking his head in disapproval.

Instead, he jumps towards Kevin for a big dropkick, only for Owens to block the feet jabbing towards him, and so Balor crashes out of the higher ground, landing spine-first on the canvas.

"Quick to recovery is Kevin Owens, and—and Balor fails to deliver on his status as a frequent-flyer!" Jim Ross divulges into detailing the various layers of the current situation in this match, in a small period of time. "The dropkick missed completely!"

Taking up the advantage like finding a free sample of delivering pain before him, Owens grabs Balor by the head as he picks him back up, before wrapping himself around his opponent in a bearhug-style position.

Looking east from where he stands in the ring, KO looks at Bayley at ringside, and gives his most blunt opinion of her through a rude middle-finger, pointing his bird-flipping hand in her general direction.

He follows this up by lifting Finn up, swinging around, and slamming him on the ring mat with a fluid belly-to-belly!

"Kevin Owens, taunting and insulting the Women's Champion of NXT with that belly-to-belly!" JR proclaims as Owens slams Balor _down_.

"That's the move she's brought some credibility to, and it's being used as an offhand towards her by a rival of her close friend!" Joey tacks his own comment onto JR's initial line.

Owens immediately guns for the pinfall afterwards...

 **1! 2! Not yet!**

With fight still left in him, Finn Balor powers out!

"A pinfall attempt that doesn't quite get the 3-count... from that, it's easy to learn that Kevin Owens doesn't have as much of a 'hugging power' as Bayley does." Joey Styles states, as Owens picks Balor up and grapples him again.

KO forces Balor into the top left corner, and then, after a few shoulder thrusts to the gut, he lifts him onto the top rope.

However, Balor fires back with a few punches to the head when Owens tries to climb up the turnbuckles, keeping the Canadian at bay.

The strikes result in Owens staggering back, slightly groggy from the blows that were entirely focused on his head, as Finn adjusts himself on the second rope.

Leaping out towards his opponent, Balor spins around Owens in mid-flight, forcing him down with a well-placed Sling Blade!

Owens is planted and pinned pretty quickly, and Earl Hebner again dives in to do his job as the senior official.

 **1! 2! And nothing counted past that point!**

KO escapes the pinfall after a lot of kicking around at the air to force himself out of Balor's grasp.

In response to the Sling Blade and the pinfall following, Joey retorts, "Balor just _this_ close to getting a win with that Sling Blade!"

"At this point, it's gonna be too close to call what move will guarantee one of these men a trip to the second round of the Tournament of Fate!" Jim Ross comments. "Even in a wrestling world outside of the WWE Universe, these wrestlers want to give it their all, even in the very first hurdle of this tournament!"

Balor has Owens by the spikes of his hair, taking a moment to breathe before going back in. However, Kevin counters, forcing Finn into the top right corner...

...before stepping back and clocking him with another superkick to the jaw!

"Owens, look out, look ou—superkick!" Tazz shouts in the seconds leading to the kick connecting.

"The jaw, the teeth, being shattered over and over with that loaded boot!" JR stretches the devastation of that kick, as Kevin Owens falls to his knees, clinging onto the top rope to avoid falling flat on his face.

The same predicament could not be the same for Balor, who falls to a prone position out of the corner.

Having backed himself into the bottom right corner, Owens begins to head up to the top rope, ready to clobber down on his opponent.

JR comments, "And now Owens is taking _his_ turn for a high-risk attack on Balor... I doubt this will end well."

After the superkick, Finn doesn't seem to be able to hear Bayley alerting him from ringside, due to the damage that has been done to him at this point, so he's screwed for the time being, quite frankly.

The shouting and slapping the ring apron does fuck-all in terms of Bayley's attempts to be of assistance towards Balor.

With that plan having completely gone to shit at this point, it's probably a good idea, if not a bit risky, to try and go after the Canadian assailant perched on the top turnbuckle.

Thanks to the no-disqualification stipulation set up by the 'Extreme Rules' ruleset, there's nothing stopping her from attacking Kevin and putting her close friend in Finn in an advantageous position.

However, as soon as Bayley jumps up to the apron, Kevin's eyes dart towards her, as he takes notice, quickly gives her the finger again, and jumps off the top rope, bounding over and onto Balor with one hell of a Guerrero-style Frog Splash before Bayley can even be able to reach him from the apron.

"Frog Splash onto Finn Balor, and Bayley is too late to catch Owens!" JR calls.

Instead of going for the pinfall, Kevin springs up and makes a quick sprint towards Bayley on the apron; she almost falls flat on her ass as a result of her balance nearly falling apart as she jumps off the apron with a startled scream. She doesn't seem like the kind of girl to potentially be powerbombed onto the side of the ring any time soon. Then again, no girl worth knowing is.

"Whoa, look out! Prize fighter on the loose!" Tazz proclaims. "Ain't a good thing to be standin' in his way right now!"

Shouting some absurd threats that would not get past PG, one of which could be deciphered as "Go fuck your tube-men!", Owens glares down at the Hugger, not wanting her to screw up his night, and nullify the work he had to go through to get here through his partnership with Paul Heyman.

However, just the involvement of Bayley, with or without managing to make physical contact with Owens, is enough to distract him, as Balor seizes the table that had been brought in earlier in the match, and rams into Owens' back with the back-end of the table.

"Finn Balor drives the table into the back of Owens!" Joey proclaims, as Owens reels from the table attack.

Dropping the wooden furniture and going in for the back grapple, Balor first tries for a back suplex on the heavy Canadian, but Owens manages to stifle his attempt with a couple of elbows from behind. Still holding on enough to stay in control for attempt 2, Balor fights back with a couple of punches of his own, transitioning into a reverse DDT position, before beginning to lift Kevin up.

"He's got 'im under his armpit now; think I know what he's gunnin' for right here!" Tazz utters, as Balor holds Kevin in place.

Joey Styles adds, "Could be a dragon sleeper, could be a reverse DDT of sorts; either way, we're probably gonna find out pretty quickly!"

Could this be the inverted Bloody Sunday, and the move that could keep Finn Balor's momentum going?

…

... _not quite._

Owens doesn't take long to fight out of it, jabbing Balor in the side with elbow after elbow, before overpowering him and lifting him up, carrying him over his shoulder like a sandbag, and taking him down with full force with an Oklahoma-style powerslam!

"Oof, big Oklahoma slam..." Joey winces.

"Rattling the spine once again, taking a lot of wind out of him..." JR notes, as the ring canvas rattles around Balor from the slam.

Right after the Oklahoma slam, Kevin follows it up by picking Finn back up for the umpteenth time and forcing him into the table that's leaning against the ropes just next to the bottom right corner, standing on its more narrow side to stand just as tall, if not taller than the two wrestlers in the squared circle right now.

Kicking him down onto a seated position, Kevin leaves Balor leaning against the rope-held table. Owens then takes a few steps back. Yeah, it's probably clear to the most knowledgeable wrestling fans that Owens has a move set up for this almost-exact position.

"Balor step out of the way before it's too late!" Joey alerts.

Just seconds later, Kevin makes a run for it, towards the table...

"Cannonbaaaall!" Tazz enthusiastically shouts out loud, knowing what's coming up as Owens' next move...

...as Owens ducks down, rolling forwards towards his opponent...

...only for Balor to move _out of the way_ ; in turn, Kevin barrels into the table, bending and snapping the wood in various places!

"And he gets nothing but wood!" JR proclaims.

"That was definitely not the outcome Kevin Owens wanted out of this attack!" Joey states, as KO is practically upside-down on his shoulders and neck after cannonball-sentoning the table.

Although the opportunity seems about right to try and go for the match-ending pin ( _which in itself, there isn't that much of a guarantee that it WILL be the match ending pin_ ), Balor is unable to jump on it, having gone through a bit too much to still have enough stamina in his system to pull it off.

"The Tournament of Fate is putting a number on these wrestlers and fighters." Jim Ross speaks up. "If this is how the first round will go down, who knows if the arena will even stand if we make it to the finals in this event!"

"If they gotta get up to the second round with guys like Daniel Bryan and Brock Lesnar waitin' for them, they oughta do the best they can to win!" Tazz retorts towards Ross. "Even if they get too fucked to stay 100% for the next match, guys like these will find a way to get some kind of win."

Slowly scrambling up the ropes, Finn Balor begins to resurface to his feet, before he locks back onto Kevin Owens once again.

...

Forcing him out of the upside-down position caused by the failed cannonball, and bringing him up to his feet, Balor grapples Owens into the front-necklock position. Perhaps it's finally the right time for Finn to put an end to this match?

"Uh-oh! UH-OH!" Tazz repeats. "We might have ourselves a legit Bloody Sunday!"

The left arm's hooked, for Balor to bust some brains with the Bloody Sunday...

…

...only for Kevin to free himself from the hooked position and low blow him! The second time, and perhaps just as effective, as Finn immediately lets go to feel the pain. The crowd erupts in boos _again_ , as Owens slowly recovers.

"And a shot below the belt!" Jim Ross calls.

"Unfortunately, this Sunday is _not_ that kind of Sunday, it seems!" Joey Styles proclaims. "And this match might not go on much longer!"

After making that attempt to pretty much literally bust Balor's balls, Kevin shoves him down to the canvas after the Irishman tries to grab onto the Canadian's shirt. These two guys are really getting sick of each other's shit, and it's at this point that Owens just wants to finish off Balor whatever way possible.

Dragging Finn into the very middle of the ring, KO sets his right boot down on Balor's stomach, before wrapping the NXT Champion's legs around that leg...

...and after a slow but steady turn-over, forcing Balor into a face-down position...

...Kevin Owens successfully locks in the Sharpshooter!

"There we go! Dat Sharpshooter is locked in tight!" Tazz expresses his amusement with the iconic submission hold.

"We may not be in Canada, but there's certainly a flavor of it in that ring, with Owens paying tribute to his home country's Hart Family!" Joey details.

Referee Hebner is bent down to meet Balor in the eyes, watching closely for any signs of him submitting.

"If there's enough strength left in Owens' body to force Finn Balor to submit, then maybe – _maybe_ –the WWE Intercontinental Champion won't need his dreaded Pop-Up Powerbomb to end the match!" JR reminds the viewers listening in.

"Even if a tap-put _is_ possible, it might take a lot more than a few seconds to put down this Irishman with such inner demons, but perhaps still a lot less than if Balor brought himself to release the demon that helped him triumph over Kevin Owens _several_ times last year, and practically force him out of NXT!" Joey nods on with Jim's comment to follow up on.

…

…

Could the submission made famous by Bret Hart and several others in his family and friends be able to give Owens the win?

…

…

Still struggling... still struggling – but then Finn manages to grab the bottom ropes!

…

It's not long until Owens pulls back, Sharpshooter still cinched in tight, and forces Balor's hands off the ropes. Not like they'll do anything to break up the submission in an Extreme Rules match, since rope-breaks aren't strategically necessary as a result of a lack of disqualification.

…

At this point, there's quite a big 50/50 on the outcome, maybe more or less, between Owens getting the win through a tap-out on his incredibly-maimed opponent – thanks to the Hart family finisher – or Balor managing to escape and continue on, and perhaps even get in a Bloody Sunday and/or a _Coup De Grâce_ to seal the end of the match. It's not quite certain...

…

…

...that is, until one of the cameras at ringside catch a glimpse towards Bayley, who ducks down near one of the steps almost as if she's picking something up off the floor.

Turns out, she _was!_ And that something, to be exact, was the big bronze X that was Finn Balor's NXT Championship, something that some viewers may have forgotten that he wore to the ring, after watching the madness leading up to this point. Guess she's going to head back into the ring to halt Owens and save her companion in some way!

"Wait a minute... it looks like..." Jim Ross takes notice... "...it looks like Bayley's holding onto the NXT Championship belt, almost like a weapon – is she really gonna try and do this?"

"I think she wants to save her buddy Balor!" Tazz says.

"Well, it's no-disqualification; either way, Balor could use the help!" Joey states, hoping to be impressed with the outcome.

Sliding into the ring with the NXT Championship title belt in both hands, almost like holding onto a book, ready to whack Kevin Owens upside the head with the title, Bayley immediately rushes in on Owens, ignoring any possibilities in her head of this not working!

Noticing the hug-happy but valiant Women's Champion running towards him, Owens lets go of the Sharpshooter to counter against the assailant coming his way.

Just a couple feet away from bopping Owens in the noggin with the NXT Championship, Bayley is suddenly forced off the canvas, with the NXT title going flying out of the ring as she is brought several feet into the air...

...before being caught by Kevin in mid-air...

...and slammed _right on top of Balor's body_ with the Pop-Up Powerbomb!

"Look _out!_ Oh nooo! Owens just-!" JR screams, and then promptly cuts himself off, briefly stunned silent at the immediate action Kevin takes to bring someone of Bayley's size and stature down. Almost like a gorilla slamming down a monkey; the size difference really makes it more destructive.

The decibels of boos seem to just get louder and louder with every surprising moment that Owens pulls off, in his devotion to advance in the Tournament of Fate.

"Oh my _god_... that was... a very _sickening_ powerbomb that I just saw there..." Joey Styles, his voice fading down with some intimidation, meeks out a bit of something.

"Geez, and that was Bayley's shoulders and neck slammin' down on Balor's back there. That's pretty fucked up..." Tazz says, just as freaked out wit how the two NXT Champions collided on the ground there.

Kevin stares down at the two NXT hopefuls, two people from a stage of his career he escaped almost more than half a year ago.

Shouting down at the person he powerbombed almost straight to Hell, Kevin makes his frustrations clear. " _You should've listened! … Now look what you made me do!_ "

It seems that Owens' destructive behavior, especially towards the Hugger that he just took down with one Pop-Up Powerbomb, is enough at this point for the audience to register a "YOU SICK FUCK!" chant across the Staples Center.

And yeah, that is certainly not the last of Owens' actions in this ring just yet.

He grabs Balor by the head; if he can't pull off the Sharpshooter and get the win before someone like Bayley tries to butt in, he might as well stick with a different strategy.

"Oh come on, this has got to be enough!" JR complains towards KO's relentless behavior.

Owens throws Finn into the ropes...

...and quickly forces him up to the sky and then back down to Earth with a Pop-Up Powerbomb, this time to the top champion of NXT.

"Pop-Up Powerbomb; that's gotta be it. Just pin the man, you've gotta have the win by now." Tazz says. He clearly sounds like he's had enough at this point, especially after Bayley pretty much got annihilated by a Pop-Up Powerbomb of her own, one that came out of nowhere.

Even the referee is wondering if Kevin is looking for the pin after that.

Yeaaah, _no._ _ **Not yet.**_

Kevin grabs Finn _again_ , in the same aggressive manner as the last set-up.

This time, he throws him towards the ropes on the opposite side of the ring, past where Bayley is lying down, and almost completely out of it. Balor rebounds, gets thrown back up into the powerbomb position...

...and is driven back down, but this time, _right on top of Bayley_ …!

"Wha—Jesus Christ, man! I think they've both had enough!" Joey exclaims, calling out Kevin's dickheaded-ness in making Balor and Bayley's night much worse, especially for their physical condition.

...

After that, it seems like Owens is satisfied enough, as he slowly goes in for the cover.

 **1!  
2!  
3!  
**

Jim Ross sighs in relief, "Thank god..."

 _("Fight" - CFO$)_

" **The winner of this match... Kevin Owens!"**

Owens rejects the offer from the referee to raise his hand, shoving him to the side to celebrate on his own terms, and the celebration is low-key in its own right, as KO, although pleased to get the win, is more relieved to get those monkeys off his back.

"Now that the match is over, let's—let's be honest. Owens _didn't_ need to do what he did at the end of this match." Tazz confesses. "What provoked him was Bayley trying to distract him, take him down _several_ times throughout the match, and he just got sick of it..."

"That might as well be the reason why he chose to destroy them by the end of it all." JR half-agrees. "This man might be a family man... this man might be WWE's current Intercontinental Champion, but if I was paid to do something like this, I probably wouldn't take it."

"There are certain limits to what a guy can do. You might say that he's pushing those limits, but I disagree on that fact alone." Joey responds. "I can see why powerbombing a woman who's less than half the size of you can be pretty fucked up, but let's not forget some of the stuff that places like ECW, CZW and even the WWE have done. Setting people on fire... crucifying as a form of intimidation... attacking people with saws and _weedwhackers_... hell, even simulating the act of sex with a corpse is more of an example of how fucked up the wrestling world can get!"

"If it means getting to Round Two, it's whatever it takes to get a win in an Extreme Rules match." JR justifies. "Even then, the other competitors who have advanced to Round Two had better watch out, _especially_ the inexperienced, like Sunset Shimmer, Aria Blaze or Star Butterfly. Even people like Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan or Scorpion might have a bit of trouble keeping Owens down after all this..."

The last image of the match has Owens standing tall in the middle of the ring, as Earl Hebner tends to Finn Balor and Bayley at one corner of the ring, checking to make sure that they aren't too badly damaged.

It's lucky that this match hasn't become as much of a tragedy as it was a barn-burning battle, even if it didn't have any honor to begin with...

* * *

 **So yeah, one match left for Round One of the Tournament of Fate: the loose-cannon sleazebag Dean Ambrose, making his way from WWE and the brutal femme fatale Black Orchid, a veteran of the Killer Instinct tournament – two experienced fighters who have had yet to compete in this grueling competition. And yes, there will be an interlude – two chapters worth, actually.**

 **Make sure to fav, follow and maybe also review if you want more. Until next time... uh... don't get into a rear-naked choke by Mickey Gall?**


	20. INTLDE E1: Pardon Me For Being A Lunatic

**Interlude E-1  
 _Pardon Me For Being A Lunatic_**

 **This is gonna be the first interlude to be more than one chapter long.**

* * *

" _Lunatic Fringe... I know you're out there~..._ "

Ambrose hums and murmurs a song to himself, as he saunters down the expansive backstage area, feeling at the white tape wrapped around his fists.

" _You're in hiding... and you hold your meetings..._ "

His match is just about coming up; about damn time, too. He's starting to get a little restless with the lack of action he's being involved in.

Last thing he can recall and consider 'action', even if loosely, is being pinned against the wall by that crazy bitch – the same one who he's gonna face. He doesn't really wanna hate her, but at the same time, why the hell consider trying to be on the good side of her either? He's a nut, but not _that_ much of a nut... plus she's not a friendly kind of gal.

Whatever. He's not really one to hit a babe, but if it means getting through this, he can deal with having to take her down a notch... but even then, with whatever the fuck kind of method to Kevin Owens' madness led him to fuck with Bayley they way he did in that last match...

 _...Yikes..._

He doesn't even know her that much – practically only met once and that was it – but yeah, girls who hug and have fun shouldn't be lawnchaired to fuck by a powerbomb.

 _And_ he's already lost his place in the song in his head, to the point where he's just stopped walking to remember that Red Rider tune.

What was it? " _Lunatic Fringe... homina-homina... hiding..._ oh yeah... _I can hear you comin'..._ "

Okay, back to walking.

"...I-I really don't know where we'll be able to go from here..."

 _Orrr_ maybe not. That was definitely not his own voice he just heard. He smells a potential conversation.

A crick of the neck to the left, and Dean looks off into the distance... It takes a moment, but what he can make out from afar of the person is enough for him, recognizing an attire of beige and pale-green, a blue scarf and the light-blonde hairdo pretty well, especially for someone who doesn't often pay attention to detail.

" _It's that blonde chick from earlier,_ " he thinks. " _...Shit, I don't even know her name, don't I? Fuck it, she's just 'Not-Renee Young' for now. Better figure out what she's up to. Maybe I could get something good out of her._ "

* * *

The night has not gone Sherry's way _at_ _ **fucking**_ _all_.

The first souring hint became quickly known with the sporadic chaos that goes around here and there, something out of her control, starting with meeting people like the hellbent ninja Scorpion, Canadian asshole Kevin Owens and the Japan-born eccentric in Shinsuke Nakamura first out of everyone else. Combine that with what she's seen of the other competitors, especially people like Lesnar, Adagio, Aria and New Jack. Stuff like that feels pretty tame in comparison to some of the stuff she's been through in the past few years, but when it comes to a competition like this, it's kinda ridiculous.

The second straw snapped with her sudden loss in the first round to a girl who's considered a 'princess' of something _and hasn't even reached adulthood._ Legitimately beaten by a little girl; if that doesn't damage your reputation, what can?

As a result, in the third of several unlucky breaks throughout the past couple nights, Birkin's agenda is starting to fall apart, with no clear agreement on a backup plan between herself and an unknown caller on an ear-piece, more than likely a companion who chose not to tag along. They must've been expecting to breeze through the Tournament of Fate and advance on their arranged plan. Spent too much time hoping for the best instead of looking on the dimmer side of the plot.

"Look—look, I–"

Stopping herself to hold her frustration with the person on the other line of the communication, she takes a couple deep breaths, briefly pinching her nose as to hold a lot back.

Keeping her cool, Birkin assures her presumed associate. "... _I just need_ a little more _time_ before I head back. If I can't win the tournament at this rate, I might as well scout out through the building – maybe even the precinct – while everyone else is busy tearing each other apart."

…

"Exactly. That way, I'll be able to sneak past while everyone's back is turned, and we can snuff him out..."

...

"...Yeah. At this point, I'm gonna _need_ luck. ... See you soon."

Sherry cuts the transmission there, and proceeds to turn around to leave...

...and then abruptly hits a wall of man-chest, bumping into the approaching Ambrose. In turn, thanks to the natural inconvenience of gravity, the tiny device on her ear detaches and drops to the floor. Hope there wasn't any long-term damage to that thing as a result.

Immediately, the alarmed Birkin nearly reaches down to the belt around her waist for a weapon out of instinct, before her eyes take focus to the laid-back loon almost towering over her. She lackens herself once she realizes.

Casually, Dean peers down with a loosened smile, greeting the shorter character in front of him. "'Sup?"

"Ohh... just you again." Sherry sighs, almost in relief... before she suddenly realizes the point of the slightly-unclean man's arrival, _in a close enough range to notice her intentionally-private call._ She's got business that should not risk a blown cover.

Needing to be sure, she briefly interrogates. "...H-How much did you hear of that?"

Dean rubs the back of his neck. "Me, pay attention?" He chuckles, "Please."

Another thankful sigh out of Sherry's mouth. "Good." It takes a brief second, as she briefly feels around her left ear, for her to notice the earpiece dropped to the floor. " _Shit..._ "

Ambrose is quick to notice the slight anxiousness within Birkin, staring down at her as she goes to the floor in search. "...You okay?" He doesn't mind to ask.

She responds, squatting down as she picks up the earpiece and brings it into one of her back pockets. "No-no, it's—I'm fine... just... talked to a friend from back home, that's all."

Dean shrugs. "Guess brothas and sistas gotta always stick together. Uh... yeah, but seriously, you just go do what you do, and I'm gonna head to the ring."

Sherry quickly waves off Ambrose as she walks past him, distancing herself from the rest of the backstage area for the case of privacy on her own terms.

However, just as he begins to head off in his own direction, Dean's odd mind comes to a sudden understanding, an understanding over the fact that he is still almost _completely_ in the dark over his opponent in that agent codenamed Black Orchid; just about all of the notable guys he's faced, he's seen some sort of action. When it comes to Orchid, all he's seen from her is her slamming him against a wall, and getting into a couple shitty altercations with Kevin Owens, along with some word-of-mouth from his buddy Roman last night after the three of them grouped together.

So in short... _not much to go by_.

He could still probably compete well against her, but maybe it's a good idea to find out any possible ideas to combat against her, any 'kryptonites', if someone has the data... someone like...

 _...Okay, you should see where this is heading._

"Actually, uh..." Dean makes a complete one-eighty on his path, looking to step back in Sherry's way just to get her attention again.

Miss Birkin is starting to get a little annoyed. "Don't you have a match to be in?"

Again, Ambrose itches behind himself, curious as a simple-minded monkey as he lets out his question. "Yeah, about that... uh, you don't happen to have any sort of... _intel_ or whatever-the-fuck about that Orchid chick? Any weaknesses I could, you know, use against her to fuck with her or somethin'?"

"Sorry," Sherry responds almost immediately, "but she's just as unknown to me as she is to you. If there's any advice I _can_ hand out right now... I'd probably recommend figuring her out in the match."

" _Shit._ " Ambrose mumbles under his breath. That idea was quickly thrown out the window...

However, he quickly perks up, deciding 'fuck it'. "...Welp, might as well just wing it, then." At least this Lunatic Fringe can almost immediately return to a calm and happy state after that quick search for info from one of the other competitors. "Can't blame a guy for tryin'."

And he heads back towards where his path was taking him, stepping past Sherry to get to his first match of the Tournament of Fate. "Later."

Birkin looks back to respond. "Good luck."

Dean keeps a content smile. "Who knows? Probably won't need it..."

Whatever you say, "Wacky Man".

* * *

 **So yeah, in the past couple days up to when this chapter has been uploaded, I've been dealing with a brief sore throat (it's gone almost entirely by the time I'm typing this) and an _incredibly_ annoying runny nose (with a little bit of blood for some reason, _that's always a good sign_ ), which you may have figured out if you saw my profile status earlier.**

 **The second chapter of this specific interlude is coming in sooner or later, depends on if the runny nose biz worsens. After that chapter, the eighth and final bout in the Tournament of Fate's opening round, Dean Ambrose vs. Black Orchid, will begin! WWE vs. Killer Instinct is about to come true on that night!**

 **Until next time... _Lunatic Fringe, I know you're out there..._ dammit, now _I_ got that song in my head.**


	21. INTERLUDE E2: Enter The Asylum

**Interlude E-2  
 _Enter The Asylum_**

* * *

Back to the ring again, just a couple minutes after what transpired within the Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens match...

"Well, if you missed it earlier, we've just gone through the seventh match of the Tournament of Fate's opening round... where WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens triumphed over NXT Champion Finn Balor, powering through inteference from NXT Women's Champion Bayley, one of Balor's close friends down in NXT..." Jim Ross does a brief recap on the previous match. "It was a brutal match for sure, one of many to be considered so in this Heyman-led event."

Despite being clobbered left and right, eventually resulting in Balor's first-round failure, he and still seem to be able to walk up the ramp under their own strength. The crowd is giving the best they can with their support, that's for sure, with some chants for Balor, and a call back to the song-based chants that Bayley has recently been given over the past couple months in NXT. Certainly seems like the guys behind the Tournament of Fate picked a great venue to put this in.

"There they are... still kicking, despite such a demolishing match." JR points out the two NXT Champions heading out.

"Even if Balor came out with a loss, he's still given these fans quite a thrill ride with that match." Joey Styles states.

"I mean, yeah, sometimes it just isn't your day," Tazz says, "but even then, win or lose, there's—there's a lotta respect you could earn based on _how_ you kept your ground in the ring against the guy on the other side. Now that I think of it, this tournament is really showcasin' a lot of new and old, how well they can still go; Heyman's makin' the right calls tonight..."

"I feel the same way, Tazz," Joey agrees, "but the night isn't over yet; this night, one of two consecutive nights, we'll be seeing the winners of the past few matches come back in for the second round, including Daniel Bryan, Brock Lesnar, Scorpion, and, like we mentioned earlier, Kevin Owens... but first, we have _one more_ match to go through..."

Just as Styles finishes hyping up what comes later in the night, and as Balor and Bayley continue to make their exit...

...vrrrrrrrrr _rrrrrr **rrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRR~!**_

 _("Retaliation" - CFO$)_

"...and it looks like we're about to get into it right now!" Joey promptly continues as the opening _vroom_ ( _almost like a mix between a motorcycle and a chainsaw_ ) sounds off.

Jumping the gun on his entrance, Dean Ambrose walks past Balor and as he makes his way down the entrance ramp.

" **The following is the final first-round match in the Tournament of Fate! ... Introducing first... from Cincinnati, Ohio, weighing in at 225 pounds... Dean Ambrose!"**

"We've saved one of the best entertainers of the modern era for last!" Joey says, pumped for the long run, especially with the Lunatic Fringe approaching the ring, finally getting his turn to compete.

"Kinda jumping in a little early," Tazz points out "Bayley and Finn, they aren't even outta here yet, but I guess... _whatever_."

Making a beeline for the four-sided battlefield, Ambrose climbs to the apron and enters.

He heads towards the bottom right side of the ring, gesturing towards ring announcer Justin Roberts, who hands his microphone off.

"Looks like he has something to say..." JR implies.

Dean's mic-holding hand slightly taps on the top end of it, causing a couple brief thumping sounds across the arena, while his other hand itches the back of his neck. He paces around a little as he does these, allowing the crowd to chime in a couple brief chants, including "Let's Go Ambrose!" and "Dirty Deeds!", which almost bounce back and forth, with the latter chant replacing the claps that come in between the repetitions of the former.

The first thing for him to chime in is an odd way to start. "Well, this is awkward..." He takes another brief pause to let the crowd get in a few chuckles. "Now, I bet you're askin'... why are guys like me and Roman, probably some of the most popular guys in the WWE, hanging around here? … If you're _not_ askin' that, then you probably have a lot more questions, like 'Didn't Stone Cold retire?', 'Why is New Jack here?', 'Why did Roman lose to a Mortal Kombat character?', and probably the most baffling one... 'Why is a weird little teenage girl waving a wand around and winning matches?'"

A bit more collective laughter from the audience, before Ambrose continues again.

"Gotta be honest, I asked all those questions myself. Haven't gotten an answer at all. Probably best that it stays that way; pardon my Spanish, but a lot of crazy shit has gone down in the wrestling business. ...Now, naturally, I'd hold back on the language just a bit, but I'm pretty sure this ain't a WWE show, so I might as well roll along with it."

…

His promo continues, "Now, back to why I'm here... well, originally, me and Roman made like sneaky little snakes and slithered over to California to see what the fuck was going on about Brock, Heyman, Bryan, guys like them. Met some odd guys here and there, and then next thing we know, Mr. Walrus is getting a tournament goin', and we figured we'd stick around, wreck some shit, then get back to WWE and do it all over again. I mean, yeah, Fastlane's probably going on without us, but it's no Royal Rumble or even WrestleMania... you miss some, you gain some, I guess. That's how the wrestling world goes, there's just _so many_ places you wish you could be at once, but hey, I'm no Rick Rude jumpin' from one company to the other on a random Monday night."

Dean has the entire crowd holding their breath in attention towards him. To say he's confident in his potential victories in the Tournament of Fate, based on how far he gets, is a slight understandment.

* * *

We return to the backstage area for a brief moment, not for too long, where a simple ol' TV set can be seen broadcasting the Lunatic Fringe's thoughts live ( _although on a bit of a delay, as there usually is for broadcasting; we'd basically be seeing the near-beginning of the promo at this point_ ).

Lounging in front of the TV on a sturdy table, Sunset Shimmer, almost completely recovered from her first-round victory earlier in the night, keeps her eyes glued to the screen.

It may have not been focused on as much, but between her, Ambrose, Star and a couple of the other guys, things have been hitting off well in the locker room. Been watching each others' matches, cheering and jeering, having a little bit of fun. Thank god it's not the end just yet. Far from, actually; this is only the first day of the Tournament!

* * *

Back to the ring with the Landlord of Lunacy, right where we left off...

Dean continues... "And here I am... standin' in the ring, ready to hang with some crazy dudes and chicks for these next couple nights... kick ass, take names, chew whatever kind of gum you got, I'm ready to brawl, bitches!"

The crowd roars with excitement again, as Ambrose lets his aggressive side show for a brief moment.

"Think Ambrose's wild behavior is startin' to rub off onto this Los Angeles crowd..." Joey Styles points out in between the quieter points of the crowd's reaction.

...

Dean slowly tones back down a bit, bringing the mic back up after taking part of a minute to let the crowd pool out their excited screams. "Speaking of _bitches..._ I've... I've got some words for my opponent tonight, crazy crazy Miss Orchid, before she gets out here..."

There are a good handful of cheers upon the mention of the agent.

Tazz focuses in a little more, "Oh boy..."

...

Ambrose continues again, "...I don't mind if you're on a mission to do whatever... if you wanna tear the competition apart in the back... if you wanna beat the shit out of people like me, Owens, Lesnar, Sunset or even my bro Reigns … All that matters is that if you wanna go crazy, we can go crazy, right here! … Just know that, no matter how much time you've spent – how much experience you got caving in skulls, understand you're poppin' your squared-circle cherry tonight, steppin' in with a guy who's been going for about a decade, takin' a lot of punishment! … You said you've killed before, huh? Well, I might as well risk killing a career before it starts tonight, just to get through this tournament! And it starts...!"

Ambrose briefly halts himself, as an idea sparks within his head, and it takes a moment for him to process it before he drops the microphone and exits the ring. The crowd curiously looks on as he roams around ringside.

"What's Ambrose lookin' for?" Tazz asks.

Joey Styles responds, "Given how absolutely _fucked_ his mind is, after all this years, I think... I... yes, it seems like Ambrose is preparing for war!"

"It looks like the Lunatic Fringe is heading into this match armed and dangerous!" Jim Ross comments.

After a minute to collect, Ambrose re-enters the ring, carrying a parade of makeshift weaponry.

Folding out a clean and unused steel chair, in the general color of jet black, Dean sits down on it. To his right, the garbage can that New Jack brought in for his match against Sunset Shimmer, fixed up and free of any major bends and dents in between bouts. He is also dual-wielding, with a slightly rusty crowbar in his left hand, and the handsaw previously seen in the Jack/Shimmer match – but not used much at all, oddly enough – in his right hand.

Picking up the microphone with his crowbar-holding hand, he calls out his opponent, not holding back any nicknames to tease and anger. "Come on, 'Tit-Beast', I ain't got all day!" And then he throws the mic down, hard enough to bounce!

And the crowd goes nuts one more time...!

* * *

A return to backstage once again, Sunset Shimmer is in witness of Ambrose's preparation for the eventual bloodshed, and is mighty excited.

Rolling off the table onto her feet, Shimmer applauds as she takes a few steps back to freely stretch a bit. She knows her second round match is coming up soon, so it's never too early to prepare.

However, she ends up overwhelmed with surprise when her back bumps into another, and she turns around.

Of everyone, she had to bump into Black Orchid, interrupting her just as she makes her way towards the ring – and towards Ambrose – with her dust batons in hand.

Instinctively, Sunset takes a stance, facing the superior fighter with little fear. "H-hey! Don't fuck with me!"

Orchid scoffs at the showing of the inferior, feeling the polar opposite of intimidated, as she raises up a electricity-fueled baton to Sunset's neck.

"Stand down." she assures teasingly. "It's not your fight... it's _his._ "

Sunset is kept at a distance, as the paranoid agent walks past, heading in for a war...

* * *

And back to the ring again, with Dean still sitting, with many weapons at his disposal within the four-sided battlefield.

…

 _All_ the lights shut off. Every light; the titantron screens, the spotlights on the ring, the lights making the California crowd visible in the broadcast, _all of 'em._

As an electronical – nearly dubstep-based song, almost mixed with some elements of pop, opens with some buildup, the titantron sparks with some lights of green and yellow projecting through...

…

Eventually, two more yellow-green lights, almost glowstick-shaped projections, are seen stepping out onto the stage. It is almost unanimously noticeable what those specific lamps of light are projecting from, as the song slowly approaches its first big drop...

…

...and then promptly hits that drop, as the lights suddenly re-activate across the entire arena alongside a burst of green pyrotechnics! Standing front and center with her batons being the source of the firework-explosion, Orchid is geared for battle!

 _("Touch Me And I'll Break Your Face" - Mick Gordon feat. Ali Edwards)_

" **And his opponent... residing in a classified location in Eastern Europe... the agent, codenamed Black Orchid!"**

The green-clad 'Firecat' locks her eyes onto Ambrose in the ring as she heads down the ramp.

Jim Ross goes into detail over this character... "From what I could find about the competitor approaching the ring right now... there isn't much besides that she's a part of a rebellious organization in Europe, following her separation from an underground agency that she was forced out of..."

Joey Styles discusses, "Obsessed, paranoid, destructive... even if this is her first match in a pro-wrestling setting, Orchid still seems to have some strengths that can really help her out against a guy like the Lunatic Fringe, Dean Ambrose."

"She's got quite the mind, and quite the body, to really catch some people off-guard! She's probably got an edge over Dean in several ways!" Tazz comments.

"This is certainly not the first combative tournament she's been a part of..." JR continues, "...but who isn't to say that there might be a hidden motive behind her reason being in the Tournament of Fate? The last tournament she was a part of, if I've heard correctly, was from the organization that ultimately pounded down on her mentality with an obsession of taking it down."

"Geez... she could out-crazy Dean if she tries enough..." Tazz states, amused but a little freaked by the agent's motives.

Orchid climbs up to the ring apron, glaring towards a prepared Dean Ambrose with a half-smile that definitely looks not unlike a sadist. She looks a little amused by Ambrose's efforts to even the odds of either competitor's victory, but on the other hand, she still doesn't expect the Lunatic Fringe to beat her.

"The final match of the Tournament of Fate's opening rounds is just about to begin!" Jim Ross announces. "Stay tuned, folks; this might be one hell of a bloody slobberknocker!"

* * *

 **Cliffhanger. As usual. Until next time.**


	22. R1: Dean Ambrose vs Black Orchid part 1

**Tournament of Fate, Round 1  
Dean Ambrose vs. Black Orchid  
 _Part 1_**

 **First off, thanks for almost 3000 views combined for the first two Acts of "Tournament of Fate". Many thanks to guys like UltimateWarriorFan4Ever, Jeff Hardy Fan VR1, The Extreme Brony and a few other slightly obscure authors who have helped me improve my writing over the years.**

 **Here we go... the eighth and last match in the opening round. Gunning for a two/three-chapter match.**

* * *

Standing on the ring apron, her electric batons planted back into their holsters on the back of her boots, Black Orchid initiates a staredown from across the ring towards Dean Ambrose, almost trying to burn both sight and spirit with her stare.

Past the ropes and into the center of the ring, Ambrose goads his opponent of the opposite sex, extending his crowbar-holding hand and curling in the fingers to tell her to simply 'bring it'. _The Rock would definitely approve._

"Ahh, he wants to get this done, and he wants her to face him like a man!" Tazz exclaims.

"Like he just said, he's ready to go crazy on the woman that challenges him. From what I've heard, there's been a bit of a conflicting issue between the two, a lack of _trust_..." Joey Styles explains.

However, as Joey discusses this trust-free feud building between Ambrose and Orchid...

...

…B. Orchid _jumps_ onto the top rope...

...

...springs off...

...

...and comes crashing down on Ambrose, driving her knees down on Dean's face, and forcing the both of them up and over the chair!

Tazz falls back in his seat, but thankfully doesn't fall off, when the knee connects. "Whoa! Well... heh, where'd you find that out, Joey?"

"Well, I've only heard at first, but now it's _really_ easy to see it for ourselves!" Joey responds.

At this point, Orchid is now throwing down punches onto her Lunatic Fringe of an opponent, mounted over Ambrose.

"These two are not letting up... but I don't think the bell has even rung yet!" Jim Ross states.

Soon enough, Dean manages to struggle and power over against the opponent, no choice but to counter-act with some ground-and-pound of his own over Orchid. Even if he's blasting away at an honestly beautiful face of a crazed bitch, it'd probably be for the best that this is the initial plan of action if he has to win this for the WWE's sake.

It's nothing akin to _A Serbian Film_ , for certain, but there are some brutal undertakings with assaulting a woman, even if it is in a wrestling ring, and if she's practically built like a cross between Charlotte and Roman Reigns.

Also at this point, Earl Hebner has to step in, forcing a separation between Dean Ambrose and Black Orchid as to give them space before the start of the match, outstretched to keep both competitors at the length of Hebner's arms.

Finally Ambrose has the time and room to get his leather jacket off, the only article of clothing he's better off removing before officially heading into the match. At the same time, he seems to have been split open a little, a light cut forming on the forehead off one or two good punches from Orchid. Going in stiff, most definitely, and there's a reason (one not necessarily good or bad) why it's starting that way.

"Ring the bell!"

Senior ref's orders. _Ding!_

"And now, the match can begin; the last of eight for the prelims of the Tournament of Fate!" JR announces.

After that forced break between himself and his opponent, Dean stomps forward, kicking the garbage can over as he approaches Orchid with the gray-tinted hacksaw gripped tightly in his left hand. Stepping into an almost-claustrophobic situation in the bottom right corner, Ambrose rubs his right elbow onto B. Orchid's chin as he momentarily threatens her with the hacksaw mere inches away from her face.

Despite this close-up situation, keeps a stone-faced expression, albeit still close to completely raging on Ambrose.

"You want this? _Huh?_ " Ambrose speaks, barely audible to the audience watching, with an intention to challenge. "You wanna break me open, you gotta get through _this!_ " He briefly gestures towards the hacksaw in his hand to prove the point of his proclaimation.

Orchid's response is fairly simple.

She promptly stomps _down_ on one of Dean's feet, doing _just_ enough to get him slightly vulnerable, as he winces and nearly bends down to hold the damaged foot.

Orchid's immediate follow-up, taking advantage of her staggered opponent, is a step-forward and a knee driven right below Dean's belt!

The three collective commentators react with an "Ohh!" from the low blow. Same goes, to a lesser extent, towards the crowd's reaction, which was more or so the same kind as the commentators.

On the finale of the trio of responding attacks, B. Orchid backs up towards the bottom right corner again...

...and nails Ambrose right in the jaw with a super-kick!

"OHH!" The play-by-play announcers shout simultaneously, a higher decibel from the previous strike.

"Looks like Dean's already starting to pay the price! And we haven't been longer than a minute into this match!" Joey Styles proclaims as Dean falls flat onto his stomach off getting kicked.

At the same time he falls, the Lunatic Fringe drops the hacksaw, as the crowd looks on, genuinely surprised to see him fall so quickly. Seconds later, Orchid grabs the sharp but slightly rusty saw, taking her sweet time to contemplate ideas involving the weapon while Ambrose is laid out on the canvas of the ring. The half-smile that crept onto her face moments earlier resurfaces; how is it that it's just plain creepy the way she pulls it off?

"Think it's easy to see why Ambrose was looking to use that hacksaw as a weapon... and I think Orchid's starting to take a liking to it as well!" Joey implies.

Joey is definitely not wrong on that implication. However, it seems that the inner paranoid psyche of the woman known only as Black Orchid is something that she's going to have to keep under chains for a while longer, as she sets the hacksaw down near the ring apron. There's no doubt that it's going to be used at some point.

As Dean is beginning to get up, Orchid bends down and grabs him by his messy hair...

...only to be caught out of her grapple and _smacked_ upside the head by Ambrose, when he suddenly gets the brief reversal!

"Ohh! And Ambrose's response is very clear!" Jim Ross states.

The open-hand slap by reckless Dean Ambrose manages to lay some degree of damage on Orchid, as she steps back and leans on the ropes as she feels the impact of the strike.

However, as Ambrose chooses to taunt instead of attempting to take the advantage with the opening to maybe another attack right in front of him, responds with a kick square to the side of the head of Ambrose, twisting him around, looking away from the hardcam facing the ring.

"Geez! What was Ambrose thinkin' there?!" Tazz acknowledges Dean's bad planning towards the follow-up on the counter-attack slap.

Joey replies. "He's considered the Lunatic Fringe for a reason; I wouldn't be surprised if he _WASN'T—_ WOAH!"

Just as Joey responds, he cuts himself off with a shout of surprise...

...as Orchid grapples Dean from behind, and _chucks_ him across with a **fierce** and _**fluid-as-fuck**_ German suplex, dropping him on his shoulders!

"Oh my god, what a solid German suplex Ambrose just got planted with!" Joey Styles proclaims, amazed with the strength of Orchid, who's pretty much about half the size of Dean Ambrose.

"Chick's gotta one hell of a lift!" Tazz exclaims excitedly. "That was straight outta the Brock Lesnar playbook!"

Jim Ross says, "At this point, every German suplex is basically a part of the Beast's playbook. He's done it so much, it's practically his move at this point."

Following the suplex, Dean rolls backwards onto his knees, keeping himself from falling any further by clinging onto the ropes with one arm and holding his neck with the other. He's been caught off-guard so hard, the guard's temporarily shattered, as he stares back, exasperated but bombshelled with surprise, towards Orchid, who's crouched down, in a kneeling position (almost akin to the position for shooting a rifle), staring back with a somewhat disturbing smirk that reads to him as ' _You're in for some_ _ **shit**_ _tonight'_.

"Already I'm starting to feel like Dean's getting a bit over his head with this match..." Joey laments Dean's current situation.

Dean heads in for a right-leg kick towards Orchid, but she catches his leg under her arm, and slowly stands up to both feet...

...before whipping him around with a dragon-screw, forcing him back to the ground. She still keeps a real tight grip on his leg, bending it at the knee in a direction it shouldn't in a toe-hold style lock that lasts a couple moments before she plucks Ambrose off the ring mat for a different move to transition to.

Ambrose tries to fight back, his right leg still trapped under B. Orchid's clutches, with a couple of elbows to the side of her head.

"Dean trying to fight back against Orchid..." JR says.

Quicker than he can react, however, Orchid suddenly tucks her head in and throws him across the ring with a northern-lights suplex!

"...but the agent doesn't let up, and manages to get a quick northern-lights on Ambrose!" JR says.

As soon as the northern-lights suplex connects, Orchid seems to hold Ambrose down for a brief moment, making Earl Hebner assume a pinfall is occurring, and so he dives in for the count.

 **...**

 **1! Hold on...**

 **...**

Orchid bridges her body over, flipping back down onto Ambrose, sitting on top over him in a mounted position similar to how it was in the abrupt brawl moments prior to the ring of the bell and the official start of the match.

After a brief seconds to adjust her position, Orchid grabs Ambrose by the hair again...

...and then starts making some literal head-on-head contact, headbutting Dean right in the center of the skull with _full-force_ and nothing but ruthless aggression at hand!

"Oh, Jesus, and now she's bombarding Ambrose with some hellish headbutts!" Joey winces in pain as he calls this series of headbutts.

The minor, rarely-noticeable scrape above the nose on Ambrose's face slowly begins to worsen with every time that Orchid's forehead slams against his with some of the most legitimate headbutts to ever lash out without managing to fracture the skull or cause heavy brain damage.

Blood comes to form on Ambrose's head, gradually increasing in the amount ( _not by a lot, but much to start with_ ), and some of it even starts to come off onto Orchid's head, a slight bit of red rubbing off onto her forehead and nose.

After about ten headbutts in a row, Orchid stops herself from continuing any further in order to briefly control her state of mind, but she keeps her eyes on the Lunatic Fringe underneath her, beginning to get a bit bloodier than where he started in the match with the simple scratch becoming a moderate gash.

At this point, the Los Angeles audience seems to be slowly swinging in favor towards Dean Ambrose, as his peril in most of the starting moments of the match is slowly labeling Black Orchid as a heel, although there's still many fans out there still willing to root for her despite the assumption that she probably doesn't bother with doing this for the fans, rather than to deliver punishment and get the win.

Orchid grabs Ambrose by his dark-gray sleeveless top, forcing him into a front necklock position. Maybe another suplex variant is in order?

...Well, it seems Ambrose doesn't feel the same way...

...as he begins to clobber her all around with the crowbar; he's managed to find his way to get his hands on the crowbar that he brought in earlier but unceremoniously dropped, and now he's beginning to break himself loose with a few hard blows on Orchid's left side, from the shoulder to the leg, until a release of the hold is forced.

Now he can try again to show that bitch what's up.

Dean grapples Orchid and enters the vertical suplex position, lifting her up with little trouble...

...before twisting around mid-lift and slamming her down with a suplex into neckbreaker!

"Perfect form with that neckbreaker...!" Jim Ross utters.

Immediately after the vertical-suplex neckbreaker, Ambrose rolls around and comes up behind Orchid's floored body, wrapping his left arm around her neck with a headlock.

Jim Ross continues, "...and now Dean heading into the headlock!"

Dean has Orchid held down for the moment, leaving him open for his next action. Off to the side, he can see the colorless metal hacksaw lying alone on the ring apron near the bottom right corner, where it was set down.

Despite a slightly unhinged mentality, Black Orchid has the patience to let that weapon stay put for later in the match. Unfortunately, Dean Ambrose's mind is just a bit less hinged, and in turn, _far from being as patient._

With his opponent held down by the neck, Ambrose has to drag himself towards the corner that the saw lies...

"Dean Ambrose... literally _crawling_ towards a potential advantage...!" Joey Styles says as Ambrose inches just a little bit closer to that sharp and ready-to-slice tool.

…

…

However, as her body is being slowly dragged in the same direction as Ambrose's crawl, Orchid grabs onto the toppled over steel chair that was merely a platform for her to jump on him before the match began.

The chair still folded out to hypothetically allow someone to be seated, she uses the elevation of the object to try and lift herself up. She begins to take Ambrose up with her in turn, but he's quick to take notice, and even quicker to take action against it, as he lays in a couple of punches right to Orchid's head.

"...Just pounding away at Orchid's skull with those closed fists..." JR can briefly be heard speaking as Dean's grounded punches connect within the headlock.

After those brief fists to the face, it seems that Orchid's right eyebrow has been slightly split open, ready to eventually drizzle out blood if it's focused on enough. There's a definite guarantee that her wound will worsen, just like Ambrose's similar scrape, and more blood can spill in the middle of this first act of the match.

Even after that, she is persistent, still managing to lift herself back up to her feet...

…

...before eventually finding a way out of the frustratingly-tight headlock, elbowing Dean in the stomach a few times until he releases her...

...and then throwing him _right_ onto the open seat of the steel chair with a hip toss!

"Whoa man!" Tazz exclaims.

"Dean finds a _bad_ landing onto the steel chair off that hip throw!" Joey announces.

Ambrose finds himself lying down across the chair, almost in an inverted planking position, as he stares up to the lights.

"Ambrose in a very bad position, on the wrong side of punishment!" JR says.

Orchid looks back towards her opponent on the chair for a brief moment, before rebounding off the ropes at full speed...

...jumping up, and _stomping down_ with _**both feet**_ on Dean's jaw! He flips back over and splatters down onto the center of the ring's canvas, lying down on his back as his jawline is almost _shattered_!

"Oh my _god!_ That was a _brutal_ stomp!" Joey proclaims, almost feeling at his jaw in reaction.

"Don't think that would fly well in the WWE..." Tazz considers.

Off the stomp, Orchid lands in a seated position, with a slight stumble, planted butt-first on the ring mat as she looks towards Ambrose lying face-down next to her.

Naturally, a quick opportunity is taken, as she goes in for the pin on the Lunatic Fringe.

 **...**

 **1! 2—no!**

 **...**

A kick-out right on two, and Orchid shakes her head in a brief response, slightly frustrated in knowing she has to put forth more punishment on the lunatic of a man that she's been put against by Paul Heyman.

It's either she wins, and gets closer towards apprehending and eliminating the mastermind of it all, or she loses, and has to rethink her strategy towards her mission. _Either way, she's not willing to get out of this situation empty-handed._

* * *

 **Think I'm starting to get the hang of writing chapters towards 3000 words on a normal basis.**

 **Part 2 is probably going to be even longer than this chapter. Until next time...**


	23. R1: Dean Ambrose vs Black Orchid part 2

**Tournament of Fate, Round 1  
Dean Ambrose vs. Black Orchid  
 _Part 2_**

 **A quick heads up, I've opened up a forum revolving around this story and other wrestling-related stories I've made and plan on making.**

 **/forum/LordryuTJ-s-Wrestling-X-Over-Clusterfuck/196937/1/0/**

 **Hope to see some of the readers of this saga of stories stop by, maybe become regulars of this new forum.**

* * *

Keeping her focus on the mad dog of a man in Ambrose following the failed pin attempt, Black Orchid stares down on him like a predator stalking their prey...

Jim Ross speaks up, "Orchid... got a good 1 and a half-count on that pin, after that... that _devastating_ stomp down on Dean Ambrose's jaw..."

Joey Styles adds in, "Could've shattered that completely. It's hard to tell if it truly did, unless Dean can still keep going."

Devoting herself to a self-imposed mission to get Dean out of the way of her plans ( _plans yet to be revealed, it seems..._ ), Black Orchid stalks around the reckless Ohio native, crawling around his body on the flat ends of her hands and feet, like a vicious cat looking at fresh meat right in front of her, and _savoring every moment of it_ , to say the least. A very calculated mindset, and an interesting, if not amusing, way to move around.

"Geez, look at her go... man, if that's how she works all over her opponent, imagine how wild she'd be in the bedroom or somethin'..." Tazz quips in shallow thought.

Joey retorts, "I probably wouldn't want to find out, and if I were you, I wouldn't let her catch any of us saying stuff like that."

Tazz responds, "I mean... I'm not sayin' it would be a good thing, just... gettin' kinda curious."

…

As Ambrose feels at his mouth, checking for any fucked up teeth or an equally fucked jaw, he quickly finds himself locking eyes with his opponent, as Orchid gets too close for comfort, pressing her forehead against Ambrose's as they both lay on hands and knees, slowly getting up while keeping themselves almost literally head-to-head along the way.

…

All of a sudden, once they were both back to standing positions, Orchid grabs Ambrose in a cravate position. However, Dean tries his best to keep his ground with a headlock, wrapping an arm around Orchid to level himself.

The agent in green retaliates immediately, with elbows to the gut of her opponent... before dropping Ambrose with a swift neckbreaker!

Joey calls the action as it happens... "Dean trying to fight back, but... ...it just doesn't seem momentum is on his side."

Immediately afterwards, Orchid twists around and traps Dean in a tight necklock, intending to wear him down a bit more

There's a couple rotations back and forth, with a gator-roll maneuver going about on the canvas of the ring, for only a few moments before they both get back up again.

…

...

Suddenly, breaking off quickly from the front necklock position, Orchid unhands Dean, and promptly forces his head right onto her knee, smashing him square in the face!

"Oh, and the _knee_ connects!" Jim Ross proclaims, as Dean snaps back and leans against the ropes connecting the bottom left and right corners of the ring.

Orchid isn't done yet, either...

She grabs Ambrose again by his scruffy head of hair, and brings a knee up to the forehead again, worsening his front-and-center head wound...

...but at the same time, as soon as the 'Firecat' connects with the second knee, the Lunatic Fringe falls into the ropes, in between the top and middle to be exact, and begins to fall through...

...only to catapult back onto his feet all of a sudden, and throw himself forward for a clothesline...!

...but Orchid dodges it!

JR proclaims, "Ambrose misses the clothesline!"

"But he's still runnin'!" Tazz adds.

Indeed, the Human Suplex Machine was right; instead of stopping his path completely, Ambrose changes things up on the fly, and rebounds into the ropes on the opposite side of the ring.

Reacting with incredible reflexes, Orchid turns around, and extends a leg in front of her for a thrust kick aiming for Dean's face...

...but Dean catches her foot before it makes the connection!

"Grabs the leg!" Joey shortly calls the reversal.

Having caught his opponent in a great position to leave them open for an attack, Dean shakes his head towards her, a clever smile coming across his face...

...before he yanks Orchid's kicking leg down, and at the same time, throws his right leg up, sending it up right between her legs...

...and the end result, a quite pleasing result in Dean's mind, is his kneecap smashing right into Orchid's lady parts!

The crowd winces unanimously...

The thrust of the leg going up is very well enough to briefly knock Orchid into the air by a couple inches, before she flops down onto the canvas with all weight crashing down, almost like falling from a small building.

"Jesus Christ!" Joey shouts, almost feeling some of the pain from that. "That's gotta hurt for both the women _and_ the men!"

Tazz chuckles to himself, briefly satisfied. "Dean gettin' down and dirty with that kick!"

Orchid is left on the ring mat for a moment to deal with the pain of that blatant yet legal low blow; even though a person with the kind of organs that she has in the nether regions is more durable to that kind of attack, it's still gotta sting like a motherfucker.

Meanwhile, above her, Dean Ambrose laughs at his opponent's sudden misfortunes.

Grabbing the crotch of his jeans Michael Jackson-style to taunt, he shouts down at her, " _Payback, bitch!_ "

Tazz naturally comments... "Well, he's not wrong... she socked him in the balls, now he's returning the favor."

After his exclaimation, with Black Orchid still down for the count, Ambrose takes a moment to look around the ring for something...

...

...before he ultimately decides on the crowbar sitting to the side, which he picks up, and prepares to start swinging.

"The crowbar is coming back into play again..." says Joey Styles.

At this point, Orchid has taken step by step to get up, and is now on her knees; unfortunately for her, it seems like she might not be 100% in terms of getting in a reversal on this next attack.

Standing behind her, Ambrose holds the crowbar in his right hand. Blood slowly coming down his nose and even a little bit starting to get on his shirt, he's ready to bust a skull.

Naturally, the pre-swinging one-liner Ambrose guns for is thankfully not hidden away by any parental-guidance ratings."An eye for an eye, and... I dunno, balls for... ... _Fuck it._ "

 _Okay then._

With that, he grabs his trusty crowbar double-handed, baseball bat-style, and goes a-swingin'...

...or at least, he would have, if he didn't miss when Orchid ducks the strike...!

As soon as Dean ends up whiffing the crowbar shot, once he ends up with his back turned, Orchid sneaks in from behind and takes him down in a schoolboy-pinfall press...

...before lifting him up with a strong right arm having the most involvement of the lift, and even getting a brief rotation...

...and then finally slamming him down onto the center point of the canvas with a mean schoolboy powerbomb!

"What a powerbomb from , forcing a complete 180 of her situation with that reversal!" Jim Ross proclaims.

Following the powerbomb, Orchid holds Ambrose down in the sit-out position for a quick pin attempt.

 **1! 2! No!**

Kick out at 2!

"It's gonna take a lot more than that to take Ambrose down!" Joey Styles proclaims.

...

Grabbing a hold of one of Dean's legs, Orchid begins to flip him over as she intends to jump into a single-leg Boston Crab position of sorts.

…

...However, Dean manages to slip away just milliseconds before the submission is completely locked in, kicking Orchid away and causing her to slam into the turnbuckles of the bottom right corner.

As soon as he finds his escape, Ambrose grabs the still-open steel chair, folds it back to its flat position...

...and as Orchid turns around to face him again...

...Dean throws the chair right into her face, connecting with a sickening, _echoing_ smack of steel across her head! This triggers a brief reaction to the pain from the audience, as Orchid staggers back after the blow of steel to the skull.

"Dean gunning and connecting with the Sabu-style projectile attack with that chair!" Joey calls back with a mention to an ECW Original thrown in based on Ambrose's choice of attack with the steel chair.

"Think that might have dented the chair a little there!" Tazz additionally notes.

Ambrose then dives in for a Stinger Splash deal in the turnbuckle, but B. Orchid moves out of the way, and Ambrose's head slams right into the top turnbuckle. A bit of a cushy landing, but still taking some damage regardless.

Grabbing Dean's right arm, Orchid twists it around in an arm wrench hold, keeping him grounded for a moment while the Lunatic Fringe is groggy...

...before laying in another kick, beelining at Ambrose's jaw and connecting with 100% intent to take him down. However, Dean seems unable to fall over, as Orchid keeps a hold on his arm, before kicking him in the face _again_!

"Black Orchid is relentless!" states as the stiff kicks make the audience briefly cringe with pain.

 _Still_ refusing to let go of Ambrose's right arm, Orchid runs towards a direction and sticks to it, as she runs up the bottom right corner, one turnbuckle at a time, and within a couple seconds, she's standing on higher ground, keeping her balance near the center of the top rope for just a couple seconds before taking her leap...

...and then getting caught in mid-air by Ambrose with an abrupt spinebuster, splattering her onto the center of the canvas!

"Good god almighty!" Jim Ross screams in surprise. "That spinebuster! How horrifically painful must that have been?!"

Dean hops into the pinfall, hooking the leg!

 **1! 2—kick out!**

"And a power-out!" JR says.

The catching spinebuster hasn't done any more than an exact 2-count. Compared to the 2-count and then some from his previous predicament, he's still got a long way to victory in the Tournament of Fate, as it hits his mind pretty hard. _He is certainly getting annoyed at this point._

"This is proving to be one of the tougher bouts in Dean Ambrose's recent history..." Joey mentions.

Standing up, Dean walks away from his opponent, heading towards the top right corner. Sitting there, having not been utilized much besides being brought into the ring, the fixed-up garbage can ends up finding its way into Ambrose's hands, as he grabs it, and pops the lid off it.

The contents of the can are dumped out; the crowd welcomes back the re-arrival of the alarm clock and the frying pan last seen in the Sunset Shimmer vs. New Jack bout. Doesn't seem to be anything else like that, besides the little pieces of garbage that were also seen in the Shimmer/Jack match, from what there looks to be at first.

To Ambrose, the selection hasn't increased much for him.

Fuck it. The lid will do just fine.

"Dean slowly trudging into even more dangerous territories, maybe channeling into his inner Moxley..." Joey says.

"That's putting it nicely; we're no WWE, we don't mind mentionin' a guy's real name." Tazz comments. "On the other hand, honestly, I don't really give a shit about what Orchid's real name is, or if she even _has_ one at this point."

Speaking of, Orchid is slowly sitting back up by the time Ambrose makes his decision on the next weapon of his choice in this match, still a bit rattled from the spinebuster that she was caught into almost a minute ago.

All of a sudden, she's slapped across the face with the garbage can lid by Ambrose. However, she seems to brace that shot, as she continues to get up. By the time she's gotten up to one foot and one knee, Dean shakes his head and then smacks the lid across her face a second time, this time going with the back-hand like a fuckin' pimp-slap. The second try _still_ doesn't knock her down a peg, but still gets some shit in, in terms of damage.

Two slaps with the lid is enough for Dean to give up on using that object and drop it, before he steps forward and grabs onto Orchid's head with one hand.

Unfortunately for him, the unstable agent is back on her feet as soon as he grabs for her, and she fights back with a few punches to the gut...

...followed up with a brief leap up as she grabs Dean by the head with both hands and drives a knee into his face!

"Rising knee, a potential nose-breaker!" Joey proclaims as Ambrose stumbles into the top right corner, fresh off getting hit with the knee.

Stepping into that corner, Orchid sets a foot on Ambrose's neck and starts pushing against him, with a simple but fairly painful foot choke, as referee Earl Hebner looks on. It's a fortunate thing that the senior official doesn't need to deal with a five-count on this, but he still has to keep a keen eye on the competitors at all times.

…

After about fifteen seconds worth of pressing against Dean's throat, Orchid breaks the foot choke, giving her opponent some time to breathe.

However, she suddenly continues her assault, with a right-arm European uppercut striking the Lunatic Fringe across the chin!

Followed up with _another_ uppercut, alternating with the left arm!

And the trio of blows is finalized with a discus elbow transitioning smoothly off the left-handed European uppercut in the corner, driving the elbow against Ambrose's nose!

"Heavy blows all over the place, Ambrose is in some shit right now!" Tazz proclaims.

Keeping her space as Ambrose staggers out of the corner, Black Orchid runs against the ropes across from him...

...and jumps up, stomping into him in a death-from-above attack, nailing a double-stomp onto his chest, and forcing him into the ground!

Joey Styles states, "And a _huge_ foot-stomp driving Ambrose into the canvas!"

Forcing Dean's legs down, goes for a pinfall attempt, almost looking like a pinfall coming off a hurricanrana.

 **1! 2!**

…

All of a sudden, Ambrose's legs begin to overpower Orchid, as he slowly flips himself forward, and forces her into a pinfall of his own accord.

 **1! 2-! NO!**

Orchid rolls out of the pinfall, quickly getting to her feet again. She drives a leg into Dean's face as she dashes into him with a shin-to-face kick, knocking him down with ease. Already trying to worsen the wound on Ambrose's head, as blood is clearly growing more noticeable on his face with every shot to the head he takes.

Zipping past Dean with that drive-by kick, Orchid stops herself at the top right corner of the ring, clinching to the rope on both sides of the top turnbuckle.

Taking gravity into her own hands, she pulls herself upwards, leaping onto the top rope for a split second, before springing off for a quick springboard splash off the top...

...but she misses! Orchid lands stomach-first on the mat of the ring as Ambrose scooches into the corner, evading the attack.

"Dean with a close call, getting out of position for that splash by Orchid..." Jim Ross says.

Grabbing onto the ropes, Ambrose lifts himself up, forcing his body to flip over until he's perched onto the top rope. ( _Think of how Sheamus does it_ )

Standing above the rest of the ring for just a brief moment, it takes just a couple blinks of his eyelids before he gets bored and requests to go back down to Earth, as he jumps off the turnbuckle, right arm lifted up to his head for an elbow drop targeting the 'psycho bitch' he's been waiting the whole night to finally deal with.

His quick flight is about to come to a satisfying end...

...but then Orchid catches him with a dropkick in mid-air, and he crashes to the ground like a plane out of control! Ambrose rolls across the ring, as the crowd reacts naturally to the echoing sound of the anti-air dropkick.

"Dropkick right out of the sky!" Joey Styles exclaims. "It's like a heat-seeking missile hitting its mark while it's in flight!"

JR proclaims, "Devastating! That dropkick must've echoed across the arena somehow!"

"Takes a lot of strength to have a kick as booming as that!" Tazz measures the power.

The quick leap and the snapping dropkick takes some out of Orchid as well, as she ends up nearly planting her face into the ring's matting off the kick. She's not quick to her feet as usual, as her stamina seems to be dwindling down over time as this match rolls on longer and longer. That 'Lunatic Fringe', as everyone seems to call him, is definitely a source to the stamina lost.

But no matter... at this point, might as well try for another pinfall, see how far it's getting her this time.

Orchid drags herself towards and onto Ambrose's body, while he's laying in pain of his own accord near the bottom right quadrant of the ring. The official heads in to count.

 **1!**

 **2!**

And then, a sudden piercing feeling, a feeling of skin being scraped off of her head ,comes across Orchid's mind.

That feeling is the blade of the hacksaw that Ambrose is suddenly **grinding** _ **against her head.**_

Just before getting a shoulder up at the count of two, the Lunatic has grabbed that rusty, shitty-looking tool, immediately driving it into his opponent's head.

A million screams being held back within herself, Orchid clenches her teeth as she is forced to brace this pain, despite the increasing amount of blood slowly oozing out into light and down the features of her face, as she and Ambrose find their own separate ways to get back up to their feet.

The audience is not unanimously enjoying this either, as while there are a few hundred screwed up people who go nuts over this stuff ( _clearly they've watched too much CZW_ ) and don't give any shits about it, the majority is practically in pain themselves, going from excited to horrified at a moment's notice. Well, that's the price you pay for watching an Extreme Rules match, I guess...

"JESUS!" Joey recoils in surprise of that attack. "Well, that's quite a fucked up way to get out of a pin, I gotta say!"

"Oh man, this just got real disgustin'." Tazz mentions.

"Whatever it takes, it seems!" Jim Ross, trying to keep optimism at the commentary booth, keeps an energetic voice in this. "Even if it means slicing your opponent to pieces!"

A good half a minute passes before Ambrose throws the now-bloodied saw to the side, letting it almost bounce out of the ring.

A heavy "YOU SICK FUCK!" chant begins to break loose, catching Dean's attention fairly quickly, as he holds Orchid by the chin with one hand. Whether that's a good or bad thing, is up to you.

"Geez... how long until he decides to cut one of her legs off?" Tazz exaggerates the horror factor of that weapon used by Dean.

In response to the chants, Ambrose proclaims, "And proud of it!"

Right afterwards, he forces Orchid down into a front-necklock position, hooking both of her arms up as her head is kept under an arm. Given the position, it seems like everyone knows what move is about to be set in stone in this match, as the crowd begins to cheer again, getting over the gruesome behavior just a minute ago.

"Well, from that, it might as well be time for Dirty Deeds!" Tazz expects what's coming next.

However, as Dean goes to connect with the double-underhook DDT, and to put this match to rest...

…Orchid suddenly breaks free, and tosses the crazy loose-cannon across the ring with a belly-to-belly suplex!

"Or maybe not!" JR says. "A big suplex sending Dean Ambrose out of the way!"

Ambrose rolls out of the ring off the suplex, blown away almost literally.

All of a sudden, the individual we know only as Black Orchid has regained her composure and a good part of her momentum; despite that, her forehead is completely painted in red, almost completely obscuring the growing wound that proves to be the origin of the blood.

She certainly looks like she's been in a real war, and the crazed look in her eyes as she stares off into the cheering crowd makes her look even more like someone who's looking to tear someone apart in the most extreme of battles.

Joey Styles proclaims, "She might as well be out-crazying Ambrose at this point, if she can take a saw to the head like that and still fight back at the same pace as before!"

"She bears a true crimson mask, a huge sign of someone who does _not_ go down without a fight!" Jim Ross states intensely. "Even after many fist-fights, many brawls in her day, this is the first we've seen her at this capacity in the squared circle! And for certain, ladies and gentlemen, this might actually prove to be her biggest bout yet, after all the blood falling and continuing to fall as we speak!"

* * *

 **And yeah, that's where I'll leave this chapter.**

 **Part 3 coming soon! Remember to review, favorite and check out the new forum listed at the top!**


	24. R1: Dean Ambrose vs Black Orchid part 3

**Tournament of Fate, Round 1 (final chapter of this round)  
Dean Ambrose vs. Black Orchid  
 _Part 3_**

 **This is it, the final stretch of this first-round finale; who will advance to the second round alongside people like Daniel Bryan, Brock Lesnar and Scorpion? We'll find out right now...**

* * *

Dean Ambrose is down and out, getting knocked out of the ring off a strong suplex by his opponent.

Black Orchid stands tall in the squared-circle, blood oozing out of her system from the large cut scratched across her forehead, making her look like a victim of flat-out attempted murder, because of that damn hacksaw.

"Look at her eyes! She looks fuckin' possessed! No wonder Paul Heyman managed to get her into this ring!" Tazz proclaims.

"Certainly reminds me of some of the guys back in the original ECW's days!" Joey Styles alludes to the past. "She's definitely gone a long way's past several women of extreme like Francine and Beulah..."

Wiping the slowly-dripping blood away from her eyes, Orchid stares back outside towards Ambrose, while he's clinging onto the steel steps at ringside to help himself up. Only more hell is to come for the Lunatic Fringe at this point, unless he can get his shit together and find an advantage over the Firecat.

Jim Ross details the situation further for the Lunatic. "Dean Ambrose holding his own, but after coming all the way from the WWE to get into this tournament as one of several representing forces from the company, is he holding enough to get a win out of this?"

"Yeah, especially after his bro, Roman Reigns, somehow managed to find his way to a loss a couple matches ago, earlier tonight." Tazz adds. "One of these guys gotta be able to make it to the second round somehow, and even then – hoo boy, there's a hell of a lot more where that came from."

By the time Tazz finishes up that last statement, Ambrose drags himself back into the ring, but he is immediately barraged by knees by Orchid, driving into his shoulders, his chest, and occasionally his face, as soon as he slides back in.

Seeing what's going on, Joey Styles says, "Well, I have a lot a doubt he'll make it out of this with Orchid all over him right now, even if most fans here more than likely disagree!"

Witnessing the beatdown in front of him, senior official Earl Hebner has to flaunt his authority by attempting to force Orchid away from Ambrose; there's no way that, in the worst case scenario, someone could get potentially legitimately murdered on his hands.

However, it doesn't really take, as Orchid turns towards referee Hebner, close to decking him in the face for the interruption. Thankfully she's not letting all of her psychotic frustrations out, or else it would be a bad day for Earl as well.

On the other hand, she's stepped away from Ambrose, leaving him open to strike.

And strike he does.

Suddenly springing up to his feet, finding a new jolt of energy in the blink of an eye, Ambrose runs across, diving in to cling onto Orchid's left leg, almost tripping her and nearly causing her to fall flat on her face near the bottom right corner.

Ambrose then transitions upwards into a headlock on his opponent, setting up for something here. However, whatever it was, the audience will probably never know, as he is immediately dropped on his shoulders with a backdrop suplex from Orchid, who continues to hang onto Dean as they both get up, with gunning to continue the combo...

...only for Ambrose to promptly jab a thumb into the gashed wound on Orchid's head, for long enough to force her to take her hands off him.

Ducking down, Ambrose grabs the previously-used steel chair that manages to be in the range of where he can reach...

...and then swings it down onto Orchid's head, clobbering her gruesomely! Despite the full force, it only manages to send the anti-Ultratech agent into a groggy state, but not enough to knock her flat on her back.

"The chair! Upside the head!" Jim Ross shouts as staggers back from the no-chill chairshot.

"Down but not out!" Joey proclaims.

Dropping the chair after the hard, nearly-denting strike with the object, Ambrose falls into the ropes for the pendulum-style rebound, driving some momentum into his run, as he dashes in for the lariat, trying again after a failed attempt earlier in the bout.

B. Orchid quickly refuses the 'Lunatic Lariat' again, truly nerfing the success rate of the attack, as she grabs Dean's right arm and twists it around, going for a nearly-hammerlock/nearly-Kimura lock submission, forcing him in place in the center of the ring.

"Uh-oh! Might as well rethink your shit a little bit more!" Tazz suggests.

Ambrose's right arm tight around hers, Orchid thrusts a leg upwards over and over with a few rounds of rough kicks to Dean's head, as he's forced in a bent-over position, open for those kicks with almost no way to block it, with him trying to pry himself out with his other arm.

He does not meet escape before Orchid decides to scoop him up, twisting Dean's trapped arm back into a more comfortable position as she picks him up and lets him settle in a position akin to how a regular backbreaker starts.

"Look at this!" JR proclaims. "Look at the strength!"

"That's definitely a way to get the crowd going!" Joey notes.

The crowd gets a bit of a rise outta this, raising their voices gradually. They are momentarily entertained by Orchid's strength, as she's carrying the Lunatic Fringe around with close to no trouble keeping him off the ground.

…

And then she flat-out drops Ambrose with a snap powerslam out of that position, smashing the shit out of his spine with the quick snapping force! From the way it was being calculated, Ambrose has gotten slammed down on the steel chair, now slightly stained with Orchid's blood from just a couple minutes ago, off the powerslam.

JR shouts, "Powerslam! A very aggressive one, no less, on the chair!"

Dean splattered over the dirty chair on the ring canvas, it looks like a good position for Orchid to get a pin. However, after a brief seconds' worth of thoughts, the agent shakes her head against the idea, not at all expecting a win off that. Not even willing to see how close she can get before Dean gets a shoulder up.

Instead, she prefers to pick Ambrose back up again, this time grabbing him by the throat.

Before people are expecting a chokeslam of sort, not yet entirely familiar with Orchid's repertoire of attacks (having only seen a good handfuls of choice moves thus far, with few repetitions), she hooks one of Dean's legs, and then tosses back with a T-Bone suplex.

She still hangs on, flipping over like how she did with the northern-lights suplex from the first act of the match, and carries Dean up with her.

"Orchid with the T-Bone, but not done yet!" JR calls.

The next in the combo from Orchid is a go-behind into a German suplex, as she continues to throw Ambrose all over the ring!

"And the German!" Tazz adds in.

 _Still not done!_

Orchid clings on behind Ambrose, staying in the German-style position, before hooking her arms under his for perhaps a Tiger Suplex.

However, on the lift, Ambrose suddenly begins to flip on his own terms, avoiding getting dropped on his head and shoulders by Orchid…

...before breaking free, sweeping in under her, arm wrapping over between her legs, and then taking her down with a quick school-boy rollup!

 **1!**

 **2!**

 **NO, not yet!**

All of a sudden, it almost seemed as if there was gonna be an abrupt end to this bout thanks to sneaky Dean. Thankfully, the fans are glad to see this keep going, as they cheer the pinfall escape by Orchid.

"That was a close call!" JR states the obvious. "One second longer, and this match would've met its end!"

"Honestly, the fans here would probably have been pissed if, after all this bloody action, it just ends like _that_." Joey comments, snapping his fingers at the very last word of the sentence.

With Dean sitting up after his attempt at victory via rollup, Orchid immediately springs up and kicks him in the back, forcing him to turn over onto his stomach as he reels back in pain.

She then grabs Dean by the back of his shirt, bringing him back to his feet once again...

...before throwing him right in between turnbuckles in the top right corner, sending him shoulder-first into the steel ring post!

Jim Ross speaks on... "It's fairly rare that we – that we see Dean Ambrose get tossed around like a sack of garbage by an opponent; he's often the guy who deals the most damage, but right now... well, ladies and gentlemen, it just doesn't seem like his night tonight."

While Ambrose is still slumped over in-between turnbuckles, with his shoulder still rubbing against the steel ring post in that corner, Orchid distances away from him just to give him a brief period of relief. However, it's not much longer before she brandishes the Ambrose-brought crowbar, plucking it off the ring mat near the middle, off to the left side of the ring.

"Well, from the looks of things, this isn't a good sign of things to come for Dean..." Joey gives an opinion, adding in something of his own on top of Good Ol' JR's statement about Ambrose's dilemma.

A moment later, before Dean can get out of the corner off the crash into the ring post, Orchid runs back into that corner and wallops him right in the spine with the crowbar, and Ambrose immediately recoils from the strike.

However, at the same time that he reacts from the attack, his right arm extends back, before his hand suddenly makes contact with Orchid's body, gripping down on the belt of her combat bustier, which is hooking from one breast to the other.

"Whoa, careful where you're grabbin'! She's got a fuckin' crowbar!" Tazz warns Ambrose.

In turn, as Dean begins to descend once again, he starts to pull down with her, but not by much. On Orchid's point-of-view, she is quick to her vexation towards her opponent. The look on her face, complete with an annoyed eye-roll, says much about her feeling towards the Lunatic Fringe.

In retaliation, she brings her left arm over Dean's grabby arm, grabbing his shoulder as she immediately guns to get his hand off her. Wearing down on the arm, B. Orchid throws a right-handed fist onto that shoulder...

...only for Ambrose to snap in, pulling his arm down to force himself closer, and then slamming his head against Orchid's with a mean headbutt!

"Headbutt, the retaliation!" JR exclaims immediately.

At the same time as the headbutt connects, Dean's hand seems to yank at the belt of Orchid's bustier with enough force to unbuckle it, and in turn, the green armor quickly begins to flop down to hang at her waist, leaving her her white tanktop in clear view; the blood dripping out of her head is shown to be spreading slowly but surely, with a couple red drops managing to get some small stains on the tanktop.

Talking aside from the attire damage, Orchid staggers from Dean's headbutt... only to immediately fire back with a headbutt of her own, almost slamming her forehead into Dean's nose as she forces a setback onto him in response.

"No, _there's_ some retaliation for ya!" Tazz replies to JR's previous commentary statement.

After the headbutt and then feeling at her wound one more time, B. Orchid _does_ briefly look down to see her combat attire slowly peeling off from Dean's reckless hand, and she expresses her lack of amusement clearly, with a thrust kick right up the chin.

Off the kick, Ambrose stumbles back... only to get in his pendulum rebound, for a third time, as Orchid turns around to adjust her unhinged green bustier. _He isn't really considering the Lunatic Lariat again at this point after two consecutive failures, isn't he?_

Actually, no.

At the last second, when it seems that Ambrose actually has the opportunity to hit that lariat successfully, he decides to swerve the action, as he instead throws his arms around Orchid's neck with an abrupt sleeper hold!

"Whoa – the sleeper! He's got the sleeper hold locked in!" Jim Ross is one of the many who is caught off-guard with the sudden sleeper hold submission.

"Think he had us thinking of a different outcome to that rebound!" Joey Styles implies what is considerably obvious to the audience now that this is happening.

Dean seems to actually have the hold locked in pretty tight, as Orchid is already having trouble escaping, with the both of them spiraling around the middle of the ring for a brief moment, before Orchid falls down to one knee. With that, there's only a matter of 'if she gives up', with Ambrose intending to cut off all circulation for force the Firecat into submission.

"After taking a beating for what felt like forever and a half, Dean Ambrose seems to _finally_ get some sort of advantage for longer than a few seconds!" Joey notes.

"This match has, for sure, been proven to be one of Ambrose's toughest since his times in the Combat Zone back on the indies; all he has to do here is tighten the sleeper hold enough to force a submission, whether by tap-out or passing out." Jim Ross details. "He's in the fight of his life in this first leg of the Tournament of Fate!"

"Imagine what will happen in the second round; there's gonna have to be a lot more hell to go through when one of these two make it there!" Tazz considers.

...

Reckless nutcase Ambrose may not be the buffest of the group of individuals pushed into the Tournament of Fate as a result of (un)fortunate timing, but at least he's trying his damnedest to try and get the victory with a choke-out like this.

…

Black Orchid has her arms raised over her head, clinging at Dean's face to try and level herself out of the sleeper hold...

…

...There's still a few moments longer of a straining effort...

…

...Eventually, Orchid starts to power herself up to a standing position, but the choking sleeper hold is still intact.

"The codenamed agent Black Orchid is... is starting to pry herself out, but how much effort is it going to take?" JR says.

"Don't strain yourself too much..." Tazz suggests towards the agent in the ring.

…

…

…

And all of a sudden, with arms wrapped around each other, Orchid manages to escape via a jaw-breaker to rattle Ambrose out of position!

"And she gets out of there!" JR announces.

"Somehow managing to escape!" Joey adds in.

Free from the Lunatic Fringe's grasp, B. Orchid runs and rebounds off the ropes for an attack to take Dean down, perhaps a tackle of sorts...

...only to be caught by him into the right position for a DDT...

...

Actually, in fact, it might as well be time to try Dirty Deeds again, as Ambrose hooks the arms and goes for the double-underhooked DDT...

...only for Orchid to free herself so suddenly, leap up, and drop Ambrose right on his head for a DDT of her own right!

"Oh lord!" JR shouts.

Joey Styles proclaims, "Breaking out of the Dirty Deeds – and there's a DDT right into the canvas and... wait a second—!"

"And look at this!" JR cries out...

...as, off the DDT, the Firecat holds onto Ambrose as she rolls back over...

...and quickly locks the owner of the Ambrose Asylum into... what seems to be a guillotine choke!

"Look at this!" Jim Ross repeats. "Locking into a tough submission of her own, with that – that guillotine choke!"

"Returnin' the favor! I LOVE IT!" Tazz excitedly cheers.

Earl Hebner kneels down to meet the height of the competitors, with Orchid on one knee on top of Ambrose, holding Dean's head under her left arm, trying to cut off every bit of oxygen that he's got. The fans are certainly raucous for the consistent back and forth that's come to this moment tonight!

"If the sleeper hold by Ambrose can be escaped after so much struggle, what can be said about _this_ submission?" Joey Styles rhetorically asks.

…

…

The guillotine is still locked in well, with Ambrose having made no progress in trying to escape. It's worsened by some of the blood that's come out of his head, although inferior in amount in comparison to Orchid's more horrifyingly bloody wound following that horrific slice with the hacksaw. He's pretty much paying the price for that, but still, he's gotta try to fight through...

…

…

…

It's been a couple moments later into this tightly-secured submission hold, and Ambrose is starting to find his way out. However, just as he feels he's starting to loosen out of the guillotine choke...

...the pressure rises, as Orchid modifies her position, falling down to laying on the canvas back-first, while still keeping Dean's lower body in place to further force more of a stretch on him!

"Oh, it's just gotten worse now!" Tazz notices.

"Just one simple transition and the choke looks even _more_ disgusting than before!" Joey Styles mentions.

Meanwhile, the means of escape may have mostly dashed for Ambrose, but he's still willing to fight on, even though he's... he's...

…

…

…

Straining...

…

…

Struggling...

…

…

…

Straining _and_ struggling...

…

Actually...

…

Referee Earl Hebner begins to notice something as he focuses on the submission...

…

...as it looks that while B. Orchid is still pulling and tugging on Dean Ambrose's head with the guillotine choke, it seems that Ambrose himself has started moving less and less within the other side of the submission.

Tazz seems to be the first of the three commentators at their table to notice this as well... "Is he—is he still tryin' to get outta there or—?"

…

Earl Hebner grabs Dean's right arm and lifts it up slightly to check...

...and it just flops back down...

...

"Ring the bell!"

Hebner calls for the bell, and... it's over, ladies and gentlemen.

The sound of the bell ringing across the arena is the ultimate indication for Orchid to break the hold, as she realizes that her opponent has lost consciousness.

 _("Touch Me And I'll Break Your Face" - Mick Gordon feat. Ali Edwards)_

Orchid shoves the insensate Ambrose off of her, as she sits up on one knee.

" **The winner of this match, and the last competitor to advance to the second round of the Tournament of Fate... Black Orchid!"**

Earl Hebner raises the left arm of Orchid, while she climbs back up to her feet.

It's not noticeable at first, but a good percentage of the worldwide viewing audience can see a look, a smile of satisfaction crawl across Orchid's face as she looks across the Staples Center and then at Dean Ambrose's unconscious body. She seems genuinely _proud_ , even if the battle damage is incredibly noticeable on herself as well, what with the shades of red covering about two-thirds of her face, and some dripping down her chest.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's... all she wrote, it seems." Jim Ross states.

"Just choked the consciousness right out of Dean Ambrose," says Joey Styles. "I'm not saying we've been judging based on her not having been a full-time competitor in this kind of ring; we _know_ she can do some damage in a battlefield, and she's proven she can stand with a WWE superstar, even if this isn't a WWE territory."

Tazz speaks up... "Well, I can certainly say I got a lotta respect for her right now; she's choked out people, _I've_ choked out people; maybe if Heyman can help me out, get me outta this commentary booth and into the ring like Stone Cold and Daniel Bryan did without any health bullshit stopping them, maybe she and I could make a great tag team!"

"I think she's won some respect from some of the competitors in the back who have also made it to the second round of the Tournament of Fate alongside her!" Joey notes.

"Yes, with that, we have our eight second-round competitors." Jim Ross announces. "In order of the matches we've seen, we have Brock Lesnar... Daniel Bryan... Aria Blaze... Star Butterfly... Sunset Shimmer... Scorpion... Kevin Owens.. and finally Black Orchid; a combination of grizzled wrestling decade-plus veterans and some interesting – some might say otherworldly – characters who aren't exactly wrestling superstars in their own right, but might grow to be soon enough."

By the time all three of the commentators have gotten their words in, Orchid has left the ring, leaving senior official Earl Hebner, along with a couple of nameless medical personnel, to help Dean Ambrose out, as he slowly regains consciousness following the guillotine choke that did him in

JR continues, "Stay tuned tonight, because Day 1 of the Tournament of Fate is not done yet! Still to come later tonight is the second round of the tournament; we'll see you there in just a few minutes!"

Seconds before Orchid disappears into the backstage area, the camera following her up the stage – albeit just briefly – can see her look towards it, winking towards it, almost as if to indicate that she's far from finished with tonight... She might as well have more in store for the second round...

* * *

 **And that about ends the first round of the Tournament of Fate. Holy crap, I've started this series in February, and it's October now. Jeez.**

 **Well, uh, thanks for about 3000 views for Acts 1 and 2 up to this point, and for almost 100 reviews combined (I'm at about 90 between Act 1 and Act 2 at this point, excluding Quirkiness of Fate reviews, which have been only 2 at this point); really means a lot to know that a lot of people enjoy this.**

 **Until next time...**


	25. MID-ROUND: Trouble Brewing

**Mid-Round Interlude  
Part 1  
 _Trouble Brewing_**

 **After eight hard-fought bouts, the Tournament of Fate takes a short break after the end of the first-round, following a gruesome battle between Dean Ambrose and Black Orchid, who have certainly come to know – and pretty much hate – each other heading into their fight. Alongside Black Orchid, having defeated the Lunatic Fringe, include several other grizzled veterans have fought and/or wrestled for years, such as Daniel Bryan, Scorpion, Brock Lesnar and Kevin Owens, as well as newcoming talent who have never really been involved in the violent sport, like Sunset Shimmer, Aria Blaze and Star Butterfly.**

 **Well-known hopefuls such as Attitude Era veteran Stone Cold Steve Austin, ECW psycho New Jack, NXT Champion Finn Balor, Japanese sensation Shinsuke Nakamura and even Dean Ambrose's brother-in-arms Roman Reigns have stepped up to the plate in the first round, and have fallen pretty hard with losses that crashed their momentum before they could even get started with the Tournament.**

 **When I went ahead with the first round, I kept almost every match a secret, only revealing a couple ahead of time (Orchid vs. Ambrose, Reigns vs. Scorpion) because "Fuck it". This time, I'm revealing the whole card for the second round, which is a four-match ordeal.**

 **The brackets went like this when I formed it:**

 **Match 1 - - - Match 8  
Match 3 - - - Match 6  
Match 5 - - - Match 4  
Match 7 - - - Match 2**

 **So given the match order, the second round is gonna go something like this:**

 **Daniel Bryan vs. Aria Blaze  
Brock Lesnar vs. Star Butterfly  
Kevin Owens vs. Sunset Shimmer  
Black Orchid vs. Scorpion**

 **If your biggest favorite of the bracket ended up losing in the first round, there's always someone else to fall back on.**

 **And then after the second round, and then one or two more chapters following (which will then be the point in which the _Quirkiness of Fate_ story crosses paths with the main story), we move on to the next story in the saga with Act 3 covering Day 2, featuring the Tournament's finals, and maybe an extra match or two based on some circumstances to be determined. It's only going to get better from here on out.**

 **Alright, enough of the author's note, time to get to the story, where this chapter is going to reintroduce the corporate family that have established themselves as a focal part of the story in the first act of the Tournament of Fate saga...**

* * *

 _Date: February 21, 2016  
Time: About a quarter till 10 PM (Pacific Standard Time), a bit earlier from where we last left off in the story  
Location: Ohio_

Makeshift headquarters have been set up; clearly, it hasn't been calmly put together, since it doesn't look entirely tidy; hell, it seems as if a hole was patched up in one of the walls, presumably a fist flying through it being the cause.

Standing at one end of a fairly dusty but sturdy meeting table is the chairman of WWE, Vince McMahon.

The building frustration within the elder is subtly visible after the past couple days and its series of events, what with the slightly disheveled nature of his hair, and the deep frown of complete dissatisfaction across his face. He seems to be without a jacket to go along with the rest of his suit, leaving him in the formal shirt and pants, and some dripped beads of sweat can be noticed on said shirt. Stress was very visible on him.

Sitting on opposite sides next to Mr. McMahon, are his daughter Stephanie and his step-son 'Triple H' Hunter Helmsley. They both maintain a content expression, if not with a slight tinge of nervousness given their father's expression at this very minute; after all, he was the one who rushed them back to Ohio for this emergency meeting.

Making up the rest of the group stuffed into this room are a who's who of reknown wrestlers of the past who make up a majority of the road agents and ambassadors: Arn Anderson, Pat Patterson, Road Dogg, Finlay, Jamie Noble, et cetera, et cetera, there's a great handful here.

After a few moments too long of uncomfortable silence, Vince finally starts, speaking through a deep, gravely serious tone. "It's taken the last couple of days, but finally I've gotten just about everyone I need in this meeting. The reason here being... that we've got a large problem on our hands. … A problem that not only concerns the people in this room... but perhaps the entire WWE as a whole."

He continues, almost beginning to pace around where he stands. "Earlier tonight, you have all gotten word of the delay of our _Fastlane_ pay-per-view, as a result of circumstances revolving several missing talents: Brock, Roman, Ambrose... even Kevin Owens, who we haven't heard from since he enlisted himself to help out with our situation. ...People here have been assuming many different reasons; personal family issues... transportation troubles... the odd Randy Orton 'injured while taking out the trash' incident... ...but unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case tonight."

Digging into one of his pockets, Mr. McMahon pulls out a folded-up piece of paper. "Yesterday, as I was preparing to travel over to this part of Ohio to look over Fastlane, I stumbled upon this..."

Unfolding the paper, it becomes quickly recognizable what it is.

"This _message_." Vince continues, showing it towards the group in front of him, before flipping it back towards him to read it. " _Within every soul, a fire still burns... somewhere, redemption you will earn._ That about sums it up, and it's followed by coordinates – leading right to the Staples Center in California. This may not concern much to you, but to me, who I know is a part of the business – who I know runs a promotion of their own in this world – this was only the first clue to me, and to my son Hunter and daughter Stephanie, the only others I've talked to about this beforehand..."

Vince folds the flier back up and sets it down on the table. "The second clue relates to a man you know as Paul Heyman. On the morning of the same day I found this message, Heyman called to alert me that there was some business he had to tend to before he and his client Brock Lesnar came back down here for Fastlane. In **California.** Never heard from them since then. Now, does anyone see a connection here yet?"

The handful of elder personnel murmur to each other as they slowly begin to understand the connection that Vince has implied.

As for the man of the McMahon house, he steps away from the meeting table, walking toward a corner near the back of the room, where a computer is set up.

Going behind the computer desk, Vince took a moment to click around as he was setting something up, all while continuing to go into detail of his discoveries. "One more clue, one more damning piece of evidence towards what I've discovered, comes to us _online_. Earlier today, in an attempt to snuff out the whereabouts of our absent workers, I searched in and out through the internet, attempting to get a connection to any of them on social media. Came up with nothing for so long, to the point where it almost seemed like a point to calm down... but then I stumbled upon _this._ What you're about to see, gentlemen, might be a bit shocking to some of you..."

A projection of the computer screen deployed out on the wall to the left of the meeting table, shining in between the Authority and the road agents.

And, all of a sudden, we see a good look at the tail-end of the Tournament of Fate, finally being seen by the eyes of those still within the premises of the WWE.

Although there are many details that can be discussed of the footage that everyone is seeing, most through wide eyes, the main focus seems to be on one of the people involved in the match being streamed right now, Mr. Lunatic Fringe himself, Dean Ambrose. The grisly, bloodied look of his is very recognizable, and a little bit frightening itself, as he is seen getting beaten down in the middle of the ring by an equally-bloody woman who is unknown to the group watching. ( _Think back to the Ambrose vs. Orchid chapters to get a better understanding, if you've read them already_ )

Vince speaks through gritted teeth, absolutely disgusted, as he looks towards the projection. "What you're seeing... is something that WWE superstars should not be associated with, and for good reason. What's also unacceptable is perhaps the fact that they've practically walked out on _us_ to be there." He turns around to the others again, creaking his head to dart towards Triple H partway through. "And not just the WWE roster itself, but NXT as well – Hunter, I've seen some of the talent you've brought in and developed over there as well. I don't like it one bit... and I'm sure you don't, too."

It comes as a little bit of a surprise to the formerly-labeled King of Kings, having not heard about certain members of the NXT roster taking part in whatever was going on in their own terms. It really is blistering off into something that could ring in a domino effect of disaster. _Where's that sledgehammer where you need it?_

Arn Anderson speaks for the men considered relics of the past having been brought here to this emergency meeting. "Vince, if I may ask... what the _hell_ kind of event are we watching right now? What reason do they have to bring in some of our talent?"

Mr. McMahon replies. "From what I can find out about this, is that it's a tournament of sorts, featuring not only some of WWE and NXT's talents... but bizarrely enough, people like Stone Cold Steve Austin and Daniel Bryan in the mix, people who shouldn't even bee competiting at the capacity that they are. _That_ I don't understand, but what I _do_ understand is this is most definitely what Paul Heyman was actually planning there in California, working with others in a group effort to put on something to battle against us. It's one of the biggest reasons why we've made the decision to delay Fastlane until we can deal with this, and we _will_ do our best to put a stop to this. If it means trying to end a war before it can actually begin, I will be alongside two of the most essential members of my immediate family, and we will be heading to Los Angeles to try and find a way to put a stop to this."

Pat Patterson tries to justify one of the possible outcomes... "Vince, we don't know how much they are expecting us to do, or what they've prepared to fight back against us..."

McMahon pounds a fist down on the table as he cuts the long-retired wrestler off. "Dammit, Patterson, as _God_ is my witness, we will end it, and we will do it _immediately_!" After the initial snap, he pauses to calm himself. "No more questions. No more complaints, people... You're all dismissed for the night..."

The road agents and ambassadors get up from their seats and exit to the right of the room, leaving the Authority to themselves for a brief moment, before Vince looks towards the family members that have joined him in the room. He proclaims, "Hunter, Steph... we've got some traveling to tend to."

With that, the three of the WWE's currently-employed McMahon family tree drift off to the opposite direction of where the other personnel had left.

"Let's hope you know what you're doing, Vince." Triple H tells his step-father.

Vince replies, "I _do_ know what I'm doing; if I can tear apart WCW and keep TNA, Ring of Honor and New Japan at bay, I can surely put a stop to whatever Heyman's got going on over in that crappy little tournament of his."

Let's hope he's right.

* * *

 **So that's part 1 of a couple more parts to go of this half-time sort of thing. Round 2 will come by soon enough, in a few weeks or so, but for now, we've got to take a look at what comes next for most others involved. So much story to work through, and so little time.**

 **Until next time.**


	26. MID-ROUND: Blood Drops

**Mid-Round Interlude  
Part 2  
 _Blood Drops_**

* * *

With the first phase of her intentions dealt with successfully, just as she wanted, Black Orchid makes her way through the corridors of the off-stage area, intending to stay away from the ring for now after the hell she's gone through. The stress built up leading to her match has gone away almost entirely, now that she's moved onto the second round, and she seems to be feeling a bit confident about herself, after taking so much damage.

After all, the battle damage visible on her just shows that she needs a bit of a rest before her number comes up in the second round. She tampers with her attire, rebuckling her green bustier so that it's back to how it was before her match.

In addition, the blood of hers soaking her face, leaving her tasting and smelling nothing but copper, most definitely shows what she's had to go through, through that war of a match within the squared circle against the 'Lunatic Fringe'. A bit of an irritating taste, yes, but far from the first time she's tasted her own blood, for certain.

At this point, Orchid is just looking to mend her wounds and to get all of the stains of red off her face.

But first, something in her way...

"Absolutely _incredibly_ work out there, Miss Orchid!"

Stepping into her line of sight, Orchid spots several figures coming her way. It's Heyman, the man she knows as the curator of this ring of insanity that she's just gotten out of. Not only him, either, as Paul is flanked by two others, his clients Owens and Lesnar – two other competitors in this god-damned tournament. Her smile fades as Paul and his cohorts approach her, lightly applauding.

To Orchid, it's clear that she isn't really all that fond towards Kevin and Brock (especially Kevin, for various reasons); she's had varying forms of interaction with leading up to her bout, between one – almost two – brawls with one, and a simple pass-by with the other, and that's pretty much all there was between her and them, for the most part.

Not only that, but those two men have managed to make it to the second round along with her. Whatever mindset Paul's set up for these guys, it must be working. Doesn't mean she's willing to work under him at all, though; _not here to kiss ass, anyway._

"Your first match under the wing of this new company, and you've proved the meaning of extreme to its utmost limit in the ring!" Heyman praises. "I was certainly fascinated with how you managed to deal with that goof of a man in Dean Ambrose; my clients here certainly enjoyed it just as much, considering their... well, their _issues_ with him, for the most part. You're looking to shape up as a potential top star if you keep it up."

He extends a hand to the green-clad fighter before him, almost entirely as a quick little peace offering.

Brushing the strings of hair hanging down in the way of her eyes, Orchid responds, unamused. "Cut the bullshit; I didn't come for compliments."

With a face reading something like ' _Ooookay then_ ', Paul lowers his offered and rejected hand. "Well... I can see there's still some fire within you after that match."

"No shit there is; _look_ at me." Orchid gestures towards her completely thrashed and blood-stained face. "Coming out covered in red, it's fueled me more often than not in the past. If I have to go into the second round looking like this, so be it."

Heyman shakes his head with an accompanied scoff. "Oh please. You won't have to worry about that. Like I would ever let a talent head into their next match looking like... well, to put it in blunt terms, looking like you've taken a **shotgun blast to the face**. The medical personnel is awaiting you; I suggest you get patched up, before you throw yourself into some shit before your match."

Orchid softly exhales through her nose, keeping herself in a serene state of mind. "...Fine." She heads off, walking past Heyman and his two head clients...

...but then she turns around one more time. One more thing left to tell them, with a rough glare back towards the three men. "But just know this; whatever offers you want to hand me, don't bother. I'd rather work alone."

And just like that, she slowly leaves Heyman's line of sight.

...

Kevin Owens, expressing his currently sour opinion towards Orchid as he looks back in her direction, shakes his head in disapproval, his face fuming with some anger before he looks back towards Heyman. "I wouldn't trust her, Paul. Looks like nothing but trouble towards us."

"It's only been a couple days, Kevin." Heyman assures, as he gestures him and Brock Lesnar to follow him. "I'm sure eventually she'll warm up to us."

 _Besides, Paul has some business to tend to before this next round starts..._

* * *

 **Rrrg, fuck it, I had to post _something_ related to this. So I decided to make it a short chapter with this scene alone, just so you guys get something new out of the story since the last scene. Plus, the Reddit Pint-Sized Prompts thing is sorta my practice at this point.**

 **There's a couple more things to get through before we get to the second round, so stay tuned. Make sure to review and favorite if you haven't already, give your opinions on the second round's matches, and I'll see you next time!**


	27. MID-ROUND: Just Enjoy It

**Mid-Round Interlude  
Part 3  
 _Just Enjoy It_**

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the offstage area, things were looking up for some of the Tournament of Fate's colorful cast of competition.

Dean Ambrose stretches his neck and shoulders around, shaking off much of the pain still lingering from his losing effort. Even then, for certain he's still enjoying his time here. Just moments ago, he had just gotten out of the doctor's office. Nice work on patching him up... but never really caught his name.

With his face cleaned up and back to how it looked before he stepped into the ring – except, of course, for the noticeable line of stitches decorating the center of his forehead – Dean's just looking to hang around, even if he took a hard loss from that Orchid girl. Last he heard from Heyman, there's gonna be a bit of an intermission for the competitors. He's got about an hour to kill time, before Round 2 starts up at 11 P.M. _Sharp_.

So why not just hang around, just group up with some friends? He's got a lot of them anyways, so much so that they could literally be listed.

Firstly, his buddy Roman, a 'brotha' who's had his back since their Shield days, then another good friend in D-Bry the Vegan Guy... next, there's Balor and Bayley – last time he saw them, on the way to his match, they still looked kinda sore after the shit that Canada-born d-bag Kevin put them through, – and beer-drinkin' Stone Cold Steve Austin; he looked like he was recovering well after the Brock brawl, last he checked. Lastly, over on the side of the weird, colorful bunch, there's Star and Sunset – the "Perfect Strangers", as Ambrose considers calling them in his mind.

Basically, there was a good chunk of of the guys and gals involved in the Tournament that were either:

 **A** – Not almost completely psychotic ( _that rules out New Jack, who still kinda is a friend, but better off without the risk, whoever those three bitches that beat the shit out of each other a while ago, and, to a lesser extent, Scorpion_ )  
 **B –** Not an asshole, annoying or just someone he doesn't bother to trust ( _So "Fat Bastard" Owens, "Mr. Penguin" Paul, Brock "The Cock-Chest" Lesnar, and, of course, the bitch that managed to beat him just moments ago_ ) _  
and/or_ **C –** Have had enough time to friend it up with the loony Ohio man ( _he hasn't really interacted with Nakamura much besides when they met the night before, and when it comes to that Sherry chick, there's not really much to say; he's probably expecting to get along with them pretty awesomely by the end of the Tournament_ )

What's left is a pretty good group that's got his back, probably more friends here than any of the other guys do.

It takes him a couple moments before he stops at one of the locker room doors. All these doors look so identical, but the basket-case of a man is able to sense his belongings, and the faint smell, from anywhere. He isn't exactly a frequent-shower kind of guy, you know.

Turning the knob, Dean walks through the opening door with his jacket draped over one of his shoulders. Interestingly enough, no one else was within sight in this room. Odd; usually there would be someone like Roman in the room with him, someone to converse with as the Tournament of Fate set its course, but guess he's busy somewhere else, especially after he took a loss of his own a while before Dean suffered his.

Ah well. Ambrose rolls along with it.

Proving his recognition skills to be accurate, he spots his locker in its exact location, and opens it, before extracting from it the only object within that locker; a backpack full of semi-essentials, brought along with him for his and Reigns' initial journey to scope out Daniel Bryan's whereabouts, in case the search stretched on a few days longer

It's so weird... hanging around and getting stuff in and out like this reminds him of his high-school days... or at least whatever high-school days he had before he bailed to try and live his dream in the squared circle.

However, that was just besides the point; the more prioritized thought he had was a contemplation on whether or not he and Roman ought to head back to Ohio to meet back up with Vinny Mac's business, and whatever's in store, whether it be Fastlane or not. He and Reigns both lost their matches anyway, so they're probably free to head back.

Of course, that would mean bailing on some of the new friends he's come to know, not to mention some of the other WWE guys like Balor and Bryan, even if KO and Brock were better off on their own, if this was what they came for. They probably wouldn't even come back to WWE if things work out too well, which could mean even worse things.

...On second though, probably not a good idea; Dean just now remembers their situation with getting a ride. As in they _have_ no ride now. Jervis, Farmer-Frog-whatever and the Young Bucks are long gone, and Chris and Ash are probably just chilling somewhere off in another part of Cali. Some party or something, if he recalls.

Maybe try to call up someone? Eh, probably not... barely anyone that notable from the Dub-Dub-E who isn't here already that he could get a call or a text to; there's guys like Ryder, Cesaro and Ryback, and then his bae Renee, but not really much of anything else there. Even then, probably better off... he's a guy full of surprises; it's probably better off making a surprise entrance to the arena, help get a huge pop and surprise the shit outta the dirtsheets along the way.

Or... he could just stay the rest of the time that this tournament's going on, see how far bros like Daniel could get, especially with Owens and Lesnar still in the running, and people like Scorpion and " _that crazy bitch_ " coming up there too. Oh, and then there's Sunset and Star, and given how low-key their wins were in comparison to some of the wild bullshit matches he's seen, heard and taken part of, they're probably not gonna last long, unfortunately. They seem to know how to fight, it's obvious, but it's more that they are smaller compared to the others that really means bad things for the both of them.

Yeah, maybe he's right. He _could_ watch and see if shit gets crazier in the second round... and then there's checking out what's going on for Fastlane or Raw, really depending on how quick he could get across the US back to Ohio.

...

Well... maybe if he meets back up with Roman, _then_ they could decide on what to do. Great decisions usually come from them bringing their heads together. _Usually._

Bringing along his bag in case they do decide to split, Dean makes for the door of the room again. It opens, and he casually walks through when-

"Oof— _shit...!_ "

As a result of not bothering to look down as he walks out, Dean doesn't manage to see a shorter figure accidentally bumping face-first into his chest. From previous experience around here, this kind of situation has happened before. What he _does_ notice on this person first, albeit when he looks down afterwards, is the tuft of red and yellow hair that is easily recognizable.

"Uh... sorry..." Sunset briefly emits a sheepish grin, blaming only herself on this fault, as she steps back to look up to Dean.

"Hey, no worries..." Ambrose shrugs off the awkwardness of the sudden bumping. "You need somethin'?"

Sunset responds as she begins to walk past at the doorway. "It's nothing, I just... I just need to freshen up for later tonight..."

Dean keeps his eyes on her as she enters the room for a few moments longer as she goes through a locker of her own, but after a while, he looks the other way, deciding to hang around at the doorway.

As Sunset withdraws a bottle of water, she asks from across the room, "Kinda weird, isn't it?"

Dean looks back. "Huh?"

Sunset takes a drink, before continuing. "The lockers, these rooms, all the athletic shit most of the guys doing... I swear, I didn't expect this place to feel so much like a gym class."

Dean brings his arms over and behind his head. "Well, that's pro wrestling for ya. … You enjoyin' it?"

Sunset sits her drink down on one of the low benches. "Who said I wasn't? More chances to make new friends... get some more recognition at a worldwide stage... get paid to give and take kinda-real/kinda-fake beatings... maybe _you_ should tell _me_ if I love it."

Dean chuckles quietly, smiling in amusement of Sunset Shimmer's optimism. He's only known her for about a full day and he's already taking a liking to her; she seems like a great kind of gal to hang around, a bit of a cool cat, and to top it off, she's quite a fan of the wild excitement that comes with pro wrestling and sports entertainment, not too much to be considered a die-hard fan, but she seems to follow the news of the sport regularly. At least, that's as far as Ambrose knows from the conversations he's heard her involved in not only before the Tournament of Fate started, but while it has been underway.

Things are surprisingly clicking well in the backstage area, even if there hasn't been a lot of interaction across the board thus far; mostly, these competitors have been training and competing..

"Uhhh, Dean?"

Dean's eyes dart back at the red-and-yellow-haired babe once again; from what he sees, Shimmer has her back turned towards him, and in the position her hands are, they look to be holding onto the bottom of her purple-tinted T-shirt, now fully left uncovered with her leather jacket removed and draped over the bench she stands next to.

"Do you mind if I change real quick?" she asks, "I kinda wanna try something on."

In short, no, he didn't mind. "Hey, you do you. Your business, not mine."

In comparison, Sunset wears more here than what most of the women of the WWE wear to the ring on a weekly basis, so the grease-haired man has pretty much been desensitized him in terms of those who are close to or are just plain half-naked when it comes to their ring attire.

Dean whistles quietly and slightly wriggles his jacket around in one hand, waiting as Sunset tends to herself. He seems to make sure not to peek towards Sunset too often, but in terms of the split-second he may have seen of her without her shirt, he's unintentionally gathered the useless detail that she _is_ wearing a bra, a black one to detail, but it's best not really to bother with that; he's got his own babe wrapped around his arms back at the WWE anyhow, it's barely anything else but optional to flirt, and he's no optional guy.

Even then, there's thousands of ladies in the WWE fanbase who want to woo him over, and that's how he was given a nickname: the Titty-Master. Of course, WWE wouldn't let him use that nickname, _for obvious reasons_ , but it's something that he lets the fans have a bit of fun with.

"Alright..."

Dean hears speak up; he turns to look toward her, now noticing her in a plain black shirt in exchange of the purple one that she slipped out of.

"So... any thoughts on how this looks?" Turning around, Sunset is looking for an honest answer as she shows off the new shirt to him. "Whatever feedback you got, just go ahead."

As soon as he takes a good look at her, Dean takes notice of a detail on said shirt, the only major detail that's on the shirt besides its pitch black color; the logo, front and center, of two short Us poking out in opposite diagonal directions with a slightly more prominent W front and center, in a bluish-purple tint. **UWU**... the initials of Paul Heyman's 'pet project'...

 _Now_ it clicks in Dean's head, but it also surprises him and confuses the shit outta him all at the same time. "Wait, they have merchandise for this place already?"

"I know, right?" Sunset chuckles, as she tugs on the bottom of her shirt, as she looks down at the logo. "They've already got a merch stand; these guys work fast, dude; I mean _really_ fast, when it comes to getting this shit together."

"This whole place is one fast-workin' clusterfuck," Ambrose retorts. "Just a few days ago, I was on track to gettin' to the top on the WWE mountain, and now I'm in a completely different company, surrounded by bulky assholes, weird princesses, spear-throwin' ninjas and hot girls that keep bumping into me."

Sunset nods. "Can't say you're wrong... it's a bit of a madhouse in some parts, but..."

However, she stops herself before she can say any further, as she suddenly comes back to process something within Dean's last mouthful.

"...Wait, you really think I'm hot?"

"Uhhh, well, yeah; I mean... I've seen a _lot_ of hot girls, so..." At this point, Dean's realizing that even _he's_ starting to lose track, as he shakes off whatever was going on within these past few seconds. "No, that's not really the point I'm trying to get at."

Sunset lightly nods in agreement. "Got it. Sorry." She's just _slightly_ blushing at this point.

Dean continues... "What I'm _saying_ is that with all these guys being brought in by Paul Heyman, it's practically left guys like me and Roman swimming up creek without a paddle, when we're in this just for the sake of the WWE... or at least, _now_ we have no chance, since he and I got eliminated from the tournament."

At this point of his... well, point, Dean decides to take a seat on the bench next to Sunset. "I just don't want any of Heyman's big dickhead guys to win, okay?"

Wanting to continue to meet him at eye-level, Sunset sits down next to Ambrose. "Well... it's not _just_ you two..."

"Right; there's _you_ , there's Daniel, and then there's that Star girl that can somehow kick some ass." Dean leans back as he keeps eye contact with Sunset. "Don't know if any of you would stand that much of a chance against Brock and Kevin... and guys like Scorpion, and those two other bitches that somehow made it to the second round ( _Aria, Orchid_ ), oh, they could go fuck themselves; we don't really give a shit about those guys, right? Took away some of our best chances of proving the walrus wrong."

"Sounds like you got a lot of shit on your hands..."

"I do. Years worth of it."

"So do I."

Ambrose's eyebrows rise before he takes a gaze back at Shimmer, whose eyes have elevated higher to stare up to the ceiling.

Dean's nose wrinkled a little to the left. "Is there... something you forgot to mention to me before?"

Sunset nibbles on her bottom lip a little before finally admitting to a response. "Well... let's just say that those three creepy bitches everyone saw completely fall apart earlier today hate me for a lot more things than you thought."

"Explain."

Sunset keeps her gaze to the sky, in an attempt to recollect her memories a little easier... "About three years ago, life wasn't as amazing as it later became. I was just... a high school girl living an almost normal life. ...I was kind of a bitch—actually, no, I was pretty much the definition of a _mega_ -bitch wherever I was."

Dean keeps his full attention on Sunset, gazing up with her, and following along with her recollection of the events leading up to her moments right now.

"Then... something changed," Sunset continues. "All of a sudden, there was a lot of crazy magic... magic that helped me change my ways and try to keep everything from falling apart when it all just became a problem to keep things sane for any longer than a year. Those three she-devils were just a part of the problem. I got them out of my hair for a while, I got a lot of others out of the way... and now I'm... I'm just looking for the next big ride when it comes my way. Just like you."

Dean is grooming his scruffy five-o'clock shadow right now, intrigued.

Shimmer continues once again, for one tidbit more... "Next thing I knew, I saw this paper promising 'redemption', where it pin-pointed straight to here, and I was like 'This looks interesting'. ...And here I am."

Dean asks to be sure, looking straight into Sunset's eyes. "So are you looking for redemption?"

She shrugs a little. "I'm more just looking for an opportunity to find something cool to take part of, on the side, aside from all the magical bullshit that comes to our town about once a year. In terms of redemption, I feel like I've achieved a lot of it so far, but... I dunno, a little of column A, a little of column B."

"If you're lookin' to do that, you're probably worse off alone," Dean ensures.

"Yeah... I can tell." As Sunset says this, she looks down at her taped hand, the same hand wounded as a result of the Dazzlings' mischief from yesterday.

Dean's smile lingers a little longer, mostly in the terms of convenience. "You're lookin' in a good place for somebody to help you out. You already got Star... and then there's me and Roman, we can probably help you out. Hell, if things go bad for you in the second round of this tournament, we could probably help out."

"I don't really know what to expect. I mean, I handled that New Jack guy pretty well; the next guy in my way's probably gonna be even harder to put down, if I can."

Dean moves a little bit more to the right, closer to where Sunset is sitting... "Look... when push comes to shove, it's probably gonna be us and some of the other guys against the rest of the world if shit gets any more insane tonight. If you're looking to help us show Heyman who should really run the place..."

Dean slowly extends a fist, a fist looking to be bumped to solidify a stable partnership, over to Shimmer.

"...then I think we can do it as a team."

Continuing to sport a positive smile, Sunset responds accordingly. "I like the way you think."

And she touches knuckles with Ambrose, accepting the deal they've arranged. This is followed up with a bit of a one-armed hug of sorts, with the both of them rubbing shoulders in a brief embrace.

…

 _Creeeak..._ "Hiiii~!"

The door opening a sliver more and the waving of a wand-wielding hand along with the preemptive greet makes it obvious on who's entering, catching Sunset and Dean a little off-guard, as Star twirls around and into the room.

"Hey there, Sunny! Hey there, other guy!"

One of Dean's eyebrows spring up as he looks towards Sunset for a moment. "Sunny?"

Just as he says this, Butterfly glomps onto Shimmer with a very tight embrace, almost lifting her up with how strong that hug is getting. On the other hand, it doesn't seem like Dean's gonna get an explanation just yet about Sunset's odd cute nickname, given by the Mewman Princess.

Thankfully, Butterfly releases the hug on Sunset pretty quickly, as she speaks with 100% excitement in her veins. "Ohmigosh, I'm so glad you're both here; we've been looking all over for you guys!" She's practically bouncing in her rhino boots at this point.

Sunset is still slightly strained from the big hug as she speaks up with a bit of a tone of pain, almost coughing a bit as she does. "We?"

"Yeah, ' _we_ '." Immediately answering Sunset, coming through the door next is the beard buddy Daniel, having had to catch up to the small but fierce princess on the way here. He looks a little up and at 'em himself, almost as much as Star.

"But first, I wanted to say," Bryan continues, sounding fascinated about something along the way, "Star is more ridiculously amazing than I thought, now that I got to know her! Did you know she has puppies with laser vision?"

The brief but unusual hypeness of D-Bry's comment is a little bit offset when Roman also enters the room, not really bothering as much to dash up to speed with the others.

Reigns goes ahead to try changing the conversation, having his own things to talk about real quick. "We'll talk about that later, Bry; Dean, I think we need to talk about somethin'..."

Dean quickly remembers, now that it's come to him. "Oh yeah... we kinda do." He gets up from his seat next to Sunset, who looks a little clueless to the situation that Dean has been looking for before he bumped into her.

She voices that minor cluelessness. "Uh, I don't know if I'm picking up what you're picking up..."

Star briefly recalls as well, "Same here..."

"Don't worry, it's just personal WWE stuff. You stay put, too, Star..." Dean assures his newest close friend, and _her_ new close friend as well. He then stands at attention towards Bryan and Roman. "So you got any deets on what's goin' on with Fastlane, guys?"

"We'll talk about that later." Bryan fans off that topic. "This is actually something new we just found out about what _is_ going on over in Ohio right now about WWE."

Reigns goes into further detail, pulling out and looking into his phone real quick. "Some of the guys on the roster – Usos, Heath, Neville, Cesaro, Zack... a whole shit-ton of the guys texted me about this, all about the same damn thing." Then he points at Dean with the phone. "Think you got the same messages on _your_ phone too, Dean..."

"My phone's been in that locker, so I haven't heard shit." Ambrose plainly explains, pointing back towards the locker that he picked beforehand. "You're gonna have to tell me."

" _Shit... he really doesn't know..._ " Daniel whispers off to Roman, realizing how far behind Dean is in terms of news about what the hell is going on right now back in Ohio.

Reigns gently responds... " _He's usually one of the last to figure it out..._ "

"Guys?" Waiting for some sort of update on the WWE's current situation, all while recognizing the tone of almost-worry in their whispers. Dean seems to demand it. "Come on, give me the deets."

"Don't worry, we won't leave you in the dark about this..." Roman assures his 'Shield brotha'.

Finishing off the assurance, Bryan says, "But you're gonna need to sit down for this one... because _this_ is probably gonna suck for most of us."

With that, after a brief silence, Dean proceeds to sit back down, attempting to stay collected to prepare for the news.

"Then lay it on me."


	28. MID-ROUND: All This Power

**Mid-Round Interlude  
Part 4  
 _All This Power_**

* * *

 _One door closes behind a group of colorful characters... and another one opens somewhere else within these premises..._

 _Creeeak~~~ **clunk**..._

Heyman passes through the door, letting the gravity and wind of the room slowly ease it closed behind him, as he comes back to a recognizable office.

"Paul... come, sit."

The fairly-familiar voice, alongside a beckoning hand, permits Heyman to approach the desk. Paul sits down in front of the desk, allowing this brief meeting to actually go underway.

Faintly, the sounds of voices speaking – too quiet to be deciphered by normal ears – alongside hard slamming, smacks and other assorted noises, can be heard off in the back end of the office. It is quickly recognizable as a hodge-podge of highlights of the night so far, of the Tournament of Fate's first round, presumably set up as an intermission piece for the fans to watch as the second round approaches.

Being the mind behind the curtains, Dario has been keeping focus on the screen the whole time, with a subtle smirk across his face reading a feeling of fascination, and a glass of some sort of fine wine sitting on the desk right near him.

Cueto's eyes meet halfway towards Heyman, as his leather chair faces towards the Advocate with its left arm-rest facing towards his desk. "Paul, first things first... I have to admit, what you've arranged for all these... _warriors_ , these combatants... it's certainly gotten past the expectations that you and I have expected, and that deserves all the praise it can get."

Heyman smiles back, a bit flattered with the reception. "Well, it helps that I know how you tick... especially considering you and I have some nearly identical mindsets towards the wrestling world."

Cueto leans back a little more in his seat, the success of it all so far allowing him to relax. "All the blood and violence we've been craving... the men and women who have the capability to break the limits on what can be done in that ring... if things continue to go our way, we might be looking at something carrying much more power and excitement than what my work back at the Temple could even fathom."

"At the rate of things, it won't be a ' _might_ '... but a ' _will_ '," Heyman assures. "You know, at first, I was a little concerned with broadcasting on Twitch, given all the legitimate blood we're pouring in this place, but the execs over at Twitch have assured that there's no risk... that this is indeed a kind of entertainment that people would like to see."

"And so, the turnout?" Dario curiously asks.

Paul explains in full... "We've already broken records on the site – over _two million_ viewers watching the show live, almost nearing _three_ million. Even when broadcasting exclusively online, on a single channel, people have arrived in waves to join the thousands of people in person at the arena. I haven't gotten a call from any networks willing to pick us up for a possible TV show to follow up on this, but I've got a feeling people will be knocking on our door _very_ soon."

Dario's clever smile grows at least three sizes... although it would be hard for Paul to see, given that the mind behind _Lucha Underground_ is facing at a complete 180 away from him in his chair. "That's exactly what I love to hear... the more people watch our brand of entertainment and violence... the more word gets out about us... rinse and repeat, and we'll probably overpower even the most popular of entertainment juggernauts."

"Well... that's mostly within the 'best-case scenario' of it all," Heyman briefly justifies. "There's no guarantee we'll change _everything_ in the world of entertainment, but we are certainly beginning to make a change in the professional wrestling business. And it's not the first time between us, either, with my Extreme Championship Wrestling and your Lucha Underground, both providing something different and intriguing to the table when places like WCW back then and WWE right now provide only the status quo of it all, what fans could sometimes call 'same old shit'."

Heyman leans in a little closer to his co-proprietor. "I mean, did you _see_ the reactions going on in the Royal Rumble last month? People don't want another age of Vince McMahon's 'Golden Gods' like Roman Reigns being shoved down their throats; they just wanna see the best of the best out of the talent, especially the talent they love – and we're ready to give it to them, no matter what complications of the past come our way."

Setting his drink down on the desk after a brief sip, the man formerly behind the Temple retorts towards Heyman's assumption of any sort of trouble. "Heyman, I can assure you... our past problems are over – with the financial backing we share, there's no guarantee of bankruptcy in our way, and I'm sure nothing of our pasts – _nothing at all_ – will be able to haunt us so easily, whether it be the WWE for you... or the _Temple_ for me..."

Then Cueto rotates a bit to the right, facing sideways to Paul again in this leather throne of his. "Even if our troubles come to pursue us, they will not get far... you and me, when we put our heads together, there's a very high chance we can overthrow WWE if they try to stomp us into the dirt, _especially_ if they try it as this _Tournament of Fate_ as we've arranged rolls on. They can bring all they can, but _we_ have the power..."

As he mentions 'the power', Cueto stares down towards the side of the desk facing him – the faint red glow coming off one of the drawers of the desk, of the _forbidden amulet_ , was instantly recognizable.

"All the power we can hold in our hands," he states with much intention implied. He _knew_ there was much that could be done with what he carries.

With this 'power', things seem to be looking up for this freshly-found partnership, as they oversee the happenings of the Tournament of Fate

 _But the only problem was, they weren't as alone as they thought..._

Looking through the only slight opening resulting of the door to the office not entirely closing was the one person who could take this opportunity.

 _Sherry._

She could not believe it at first – it came as a surprise to her to see who was on the other side, besides Heyman, of course, who was initially the only form of authority she recognized in this place, up to this point of the ongoing tournament.

Out of the two, the man sometimes known as _'El Jefe'_ was the one truly concerned her.

" _Holy shit._ _**It's him...**_ "

* * *

 **Firstly, I have to apologize a bit. Once again, I hit a bit of a brick wall, where I could not find the time between everything else I do online to write and upload chapters and stories here. But considering it's now 2017, I feel like an opportunity was around the corner. I typed a bit here and there of this chapter over the hiatus months, but not much to really advance stuff. A couple little rewrites, some scrapped stuff, and then one day I finally decided "I'm gonna start the year off by finally updating something." Doesn't guarantee I'm gonna be the most active, but it's a start.**

 **Anyways, I think I got one more chapter to go before we head into Round 2 of the Tournament of Fate; stay tuned!**


	29. MID-ROUND: The Game Changer?

**Mid-Round Interlude  
Part 5  
 _The Game Changer?_  
**

* * *

Old Man Vince is coming to California.

That was the news Dean was given by his fellow WWE co-workers Roman and D-Bry, summed up in at least seven words. And those words, even if not many, says at least something about what's to come.

There has been a bit of back-and-forth conversation on this topic between Ambrose, Bryan, Reigns, and the odd duo in Sunset and Star, thus far. He's almost sure he sensed at least one person on the other side of the door hearing in, attempting to eavesdrop or some shit. If it was someone like Owens listening in, he'd make it a promise to beat him so badly, he'd probably have to drop out of the Tournament of Fate.

In the midst of all the talking, Ambrose speaks up, speaking of the tournament after briefly threatening any potential snoopers. "And that's probably why he's coming here – this whole shitty, crazy, _stupid_ tournament we got ourselves into. Well... _mostly my idea,_ but..."

"Well, even if it's... _shitty_ ," Sunset attempts to assure the Ohio-born loon. "I don't know if anyone here can admit that they aren't having as much fun as they would back home."

Ambrose responds, "Oh don't worry, it's been 'fun'... wish I could have a bit more in the second round..."

 _All thanks to **her...**_

"...And now that old fart's probably gonna try and crash this show if he manages to get in here. Or worse, he actually manages to get _creative control_ over this place."

"I know you guys might but... I don't know if it's really _that_ bad to you guys..." Star assumes with a somewhat clueless mentality, oblivious to what is implied of 'Old Man' Vince McMahon's attitude from Ambrose.

A natural belief considering she's practically going into this tournament with only some basic knowledge of what pro wrestling is, thanks to exposure to it from some of her Earth friends. What's odd is the contradictory feeling considering the youthful princess has almost wrestled circles around Sherry Birkin earlier tonight in the first round of the Tournament of Fate, without even trying.

Ambrose replies, "You'd be wrong in believing that; of course you don't know, you're still just a kid. The best I can say is he's pretty much the reason my buddy is one of the most hated by the fans on our roster."

There's a brief second of silence before Ambrose almost forgets to assure his friend. "... _No offense_."

Reigns nods back, keeping a collected stone-faced expression. "It's fine, man."

Ambrose then turns towards Bryan, the third of the WWE-branded guys in the room. "And you, D-Bry, you had to go through some hell with Vince and his family constantly shitting on you all the time. They had to make Wight and Kane their big tough slave bitches to hold guys like you back."

Daniel retorts with some bluntness, "To be honest, you and Roman were some of the guys at first..."

"And we both regret the fuck outta it." Dean makes an immediate response, before bringing his hands into his scraggly, messy hair. "But that's long gone... ...what the _fuck_ do we do now...?"

Even though even _she_ doesn't have that much of a clue on what comes next, Sunset doesn't really want to see Ambrose frustrated for too long...

Practically shoulder-to-shoulder with Dean, she speaks out to him. "Dean, look... I understand where you're going on this, but... if is as much of a smart, creative mind... I doubt the McMahons are going to make much of an impact if they make it here – it's not just the five of us, this place is full of some pretty crazy and tough people!"

"Crazy people who probably aren't on our side either." Ambrose looks towards the darker side of the 'crazy and tough people' statement.

Bryan agrees. "Well, you're both not wrong. There's us... then there's Kevin, Orchid, New Jack, Brock... I wanna ask, if Vince wanted to put something to a halt, something that _Brock Lesnar_ seems to enjoy being a part of, would Vince, or even Stephanie and Hunter, want to risk saying 'No' to him?

Reigns shrugs. "I dunno, I don't really see Brock as a guy to willingly assault his boss outside of the ring if there's _any_ sign of disagreement."

Ambrose disagrees. "He broke the man's hip; I'd say he could do it and not get a consequence because he's such a tough asshole... _and_ he did! You may have not seen it, but _I_ have. At least, in re-runs."

"If he can F5 something like a shark, he probably wouldn't hesitate F5ing anybody." Daniel quips with a very odd comparison, one that leaves imagining it herself.

Roman bluntly asks. "Wasn't that just CGI stuff for a commercial?"

Poking her head out from behind Daniel, Star gasps. "Ohmigosh, I hope not!"

Daniel justifies towards the young Mewman princess. "I'm just making a comparison, Star..."

She replies, in a self-mesmerized tone. " _I refuse to stop believing._ "

Roman nods to himself, towards Star. "Well, that's just your opinion..."

" _Guys!_ " Sunset briefly forces silence in the rest of the group, knowing the point has almost gone missing. "Seriously... let's just stop talking about Brock and sharks for a moment, and focus on something else, like Vince... or at least even just getting through the Tournament of Fate."

Dean naturally sides with the red-and-yellow-haired babe that he has grown to befriend. "The Tournament, yeah, that's right; the whole bunch of us agreed on this the night before, before we all began to beat the shit out of each other. Whatever the **Fate** in _Tournament of Fate_ means, here's hoping we get out of this without someone getting completely fucked over."

The rest of the group here is completely at the Lunatic Fringe's attention now, especially after Shimmer managed to bring sense back to the discussion after a near-derailment by the topic of ' _Brock Lesnar F5ing Animals = Brock Lesnar F5ing Vince McMahon to Save UWU_ '.

Dean continues, "Hell... even if Vince tries to get through this shit and try to stop everything, if he even brings the rest of the Authority with him, with Hunter, Stephanie, bitch-boy Seth, and whoever else, we'll probably still be able to overcome with a fuckin' awesome numbers game. What, there'd be six of them at least, and about 16 of us?"

Roman butts in briefly, "Some of the 16 of us would probably not want to tag along with us; I mean, that's what you implied..."

"Yeah, but when it comes to trying to go through this tournament to the end, I don't think anyone wants blue balls if it gets cut off just like that." Dean presumes, driving the point with the snap of his fingers. "At first, I got pretty pissed off with the news, but that's me not thinking in all corners. I have the kind of mind that needs a moment to bring everything together, and when all the shit comes together, at the end, I'm like... ' _fuck it_ '... At this point, if he's coming, let him come, just _don't_ let him kill the show."

Sunset grins from ear-to-ear, 100% on the side of Ambrose alongside Bryan, Roman and Star; she states, "You may not be a role model... but if I were Heyman, I'd think you have what it takes to lead a revolution."

Ambrose smirks back, flattered. "I like the way you think."

He gets up off the bench – at this point, he's probably got some sort of numb-ass syndrome after sitting for a good while in one place – and looks back towards the other four alongside him.

Looking up to Dean... "So it's settled, then?" Roman asks.

Ambrose responds, a bit excitedly, "Hell yeah, it is; even if some of us are risking our jobs over there, I think we gotta pull through this, wrestling for ourselves tonight, not for anyone else. We'll get out there, kick ass for two more rounds, and then move on after finishing up this tournament."

"Right." D-Bry claps once, hyped up, and stands up. "Let's go. From the looks of things, my match is coming up first – gotta warm up."

He passes by Ambrose as he exits the room. He's certainly right, as the brackets of the tournament will lead him to face off against Dazzling member Aria Blaze, although at this point, the siren trio is practically in jeopardy after a bloody bout between Aria and Adagio, and some actions by Sonata that she has immediate regret for, it seems.

Star giggles to herself, anticipating some of the best in her path in this Tournament of Fate. "Man, I love this place..."

She stands up next, briefly hugging Dean by the stomach as she heads off after Bryan. Regardless of who she is going to be pitted against, she's psyched up for the second round of the tournament. It's best to leave it there, since the bracketology is leading her to a potential brick wall, to say the least.

Reigns is without a comment, as none was needed from the Samoan Soldier. He fist-bumps with Ambrose and he walks through the door.

Even if Roman isn't heading into a second-round match, as a result of a match at a losing effort against Shirai Ryu warrior Scorpion, he's still fine with what comes next, wanting to watch on to see who manages to make it out of the final round of the Tournament of Fate as the supreme champion.

Even Ambrose has been eliminated in the first round of the tournament by Black Orchid, but he's not slowing down; he's expecting _something_ from Mr. McMahon when he and his corporate goons and family come around, whether it be some angry bickering or just some 'this is personal' sort of stuff, even intending to get violent or something to take the show down.

Ambrose looks back at Sunset Shimmer, the only other person besides himself in the room, who has re-donned her leather jacket, left unzipped to keep the Ultimatum Wrestling Underground logo in clear view on the shirt beneath the jacket.

He says to her, "Good luck."

She responds, "I'm gonna need a lot of it... especially after the last round."

She walks around Dean, confidently making for the door. He looks on, scanning her person from behind. He's fine admitting to himself, and only to himself for now, that 's quite a good looking girl, in his standards.

Even though he could hold himself back about 100% on lingering eyes towards her, he _does_ end up getting a bit of a look at Sunset's shapely butt in her tight black jeans in the last couple seconds before she disappears from his line of sight. Despite it being an interesting sight for the most part, it's pretty much the second time since he got into the Staples Center last night that he has to remind himself.

 _Remember the girlfriend, Dean. You have a girlfriend..._


	30. MID-ROUND: Pre-Round 2 Hype

**Pre-Round-2 Hype**

 **The final chapter of the interlude before we head into the second round.**

* * *

It has been a couple minutes of a break on the broadcast of the Tournament of Fate; the chat on Twitch has been very active throughout, even though it has been mostly stuff related to the popular Kappa emoticon; pro wrestling on Twitch is relatively unlike most streams, on this gaming-oriented site.

We head to the commentary table near the stage...

"Well, fans, thanks for sticking around as we prepare for the second round of the Tournament of Fate," Joey Styles starts off, "after one hell of a great first round!"

Jim Ross adds in, "The sixteen individuals, new and old, that this tournament has invited, have dwindled down to just eight after much excitement, much intensity, **blood, sweat and** _ **tears**_ dropped in that very ring with no sign of slowing down at all throughout the past couple hours!"

"All it's been so far is one match after another with barely more than a few minutes to breath between each one!" Tazz mentions. "I'm excited to see where we go next with the second round!"

"I'm sure Paul Heyman in the back is too; at this point, he's gotta be happy with how his vision of the next era of wrestling is looking." Joey states. "I'm not saying it's pretty much an ECW 2.0 – mainly because we already had one. Didn't quite work out..."

"Yeah, it was disappointin', alright, but at least this time around, Heyman's in _full control_ ," Tazz assures the audience and his fellow action-calling partner, "so no McMahons breathing down his neck droppin' in zombies, aliens and Mexican bootleg Randy Savage impersonators this time around."

JR speaks up again after Tazz and Joey finish up, "Well, that point aside, the second round of the Tournament of Fate will be underway in just a few moments, but first, we're going to head to the back to catch up with one of the more likely competitors to win it all in this two-night tournament; here with us tonight is _Impact Wrestling_ ring announcer Jeremy Borash."

* * *

A fade to backstage, at a previously-unexplored interview area, where Borash stands with a microphone in hand...

"Ladies and gentlemen, with me at this time, one of the competitors to have advanced to the second round of tonight's tournament," he starts, "please welcome, WWE's Intercontinental Champion, **Kevin Owens**."

The camera pans to the right, as Owens walks into view; he still looks close to 100%, barely looking damaged aside from a couple bruises, but no fucks given regardless.

Borash speaks to the Canadian champion, "Kevin, first off, congratulations on your victory just a couple matches ago – you competed, to a successful effort, against Finn Balor, a rival of yours from back in NXT... now that you're up one rung in the Tournament of Fate, what's your plan to get past your next-"

", I'm gonna have to stop you right there..." Owens interrupts the interviewer. "...because if there's _anything_ I _will_ say about what I have planned, it's that it won't take much to put away who I have to face later tonight – I've seen how the bracket looks now after all these matches, and honestly, it kinda humors me to see how everything's pieced together, especially considering how my opponent managed to get past just _one_ round. It's kinda pathetic if you ask me."

Owens rallies a bit of a mixed reaction, primarily jeers, with the bit of trash talk on his opponent, especially towards the fans who have figured out KO's opponent from the brackets put together.

He continues... "At this point, it's easy pickings for me – I'm looking to utterly destroy whoever I get thrown into the ring with and get my payday. I'm not just competing as one of many people sponsored under Heyman... I'm a prizefighter... and I'm in to take the helm, beat down anyone who stands up to me, and make my family proud. You guys talk about a 'new era'? You're looking at the man who's gonna _lead_ it."

With that, Kevin vanishes from camera-view afterwards, heading off the same way he came in, leaving Jeremy Borash to himself.

"...Thank you for your time." says Borash, after a brief beat of silence.

However, the scene doesn't seem to end there; the camera lingers as Borash takes notice to something to the left of him...

...and then the camera pans over to that left, revealing another second-round competitor in Aria Blaze, still looking visibly angered after the events following her match with Adagio. Although some dried blood is visible in spots on her person, she looks relatively cleaned up following that match. One simple, slightly noticeable change in Aria's attire seems to be that a bandage can be seen underneath the left shoulder-side of her jacket, a reminder to her of pain she had to go through to advance.

A little hesitant considering the kind of mood the Dazzling member is in, Borash approaches her. "Aria... are there... any thoughts from you, heading into your match with Daniel Bryan, coming up next?"

The crowd briefly pops for the mention of D-Bry by interviewer Borash; even a bit of a "YES!" chant comes through...

Meanwhile, in terms of a response, all Aria does, as she keeps her silence, is slap the microphone out of 's hands, before walking off. She wants _none_ of it.

The interviewing segment ends with Jeremy looking on, a bit agitated by Aria's attitude...

* * *

Back to the arena, as the second round of the Tournament of Fate is about to begin.

 _("Stand Up" - Exotype)_

A composition of almost unanimous boos rings through in the fans as the song hits for the third time tonight.

Aria emerges, making her way straight down the ramp with barely any intent other than to battle the guy she's pitted with.

Justin Roberts still handles the ring announcements as usual... **"The following contest is the first match in Round 2 of the Tournament of Fate! Introducing first, from Canterlot City... !"**

"Aria battled her way through to the second round tonight, against fellow Dazzling member Adagio, in a relentless affair that threatened to tear their team apart," Jim Ross recaps. "Although some tension seems to have evaporated between them following the match, what with Adagio letting her fellow partner soak in the victory, there still seems to be something within Aria that just leaves her, for lack of a better term, pissed off."

"Yeah, that's because that dumbass Sonata came in and made the most fuckin' stupid decision by smacking them both with a chair, then crying over it." Tazz justifies Aria's blazing anger. "To better quote someone, she went full retard, and Aria must not have liked that one bit."

"I have a feeling that the frustrations that still linger in Aria's mind are set to be thrown at her opponent in Daniel Bryan, and he might have to watch out," Joey Styles assumes. "Who knows what kind of sadistic ideas Blaze might be planning for this match? It's Extreme Rules after all, and from what we've seen in past matches, there's a lot of potential for pain and suffering in the squared circle right now."

By the time the commentators finish up their thoughts on Aria and her frustrations heading into this match, the punk girl is leaning against the bottom right corner of the ring, her arms hanging half-lazily over the top rope as she awaits her opponent.

 _("Flight of the Valkyries" - Jim Johnston)_

 _There's_ the kind of music to hype the whole crowd up. An almost immediate chant of "YES!" rings through once again, as Daniel Bryan heads out onto center-stage, soaking in all the reception.

" **And her opponent... from Aberdeen, Washington, weighing in at 210 pounds... Daniel Bryan!"**

"Speaking of, this man has managed to beat even _retirement_ to come back to the business that he's competed in for over a decade! His first match back was hours ago, at the very beginning of the Tournament of Fate, succeeding against Japanese sensation, the King of 'Strong Style' Shinsuke Nakamura!" JR discusses.

As the commentators continued, Bryan points upwards with both hands as he makes his way down the ramp, leading the Yes chants...

"Now he's in the fray against a completely new opponent, against someone with a much different motive," Joey mentions. "While Aria's just willing to spill blood at this point, Daniel's in this to help make a comeback effort, managing to find a way to get back in the ring despite concerns from the WWE—!"

Joey's comments are cut off abruptly; as the camera kept its focus on Daniel as he heads down the ramp among the Yes Movement, Aria Blaze suddenly seems to have exited the ring, as she forces herself into view as she jumps him at the bottom end of the aisle, all while shoving the cameraman out of the way.

"Oh wha— _wait a minute!_ " JR shouts as begins to lay the fists and boots to D-Bry.

"Whoa jeez!" Tazz yelps. "He never saw it coming!"

"Aria, jumping the gun a bit!" Joey states.

"What an impatient punk is Aria Blaze!" JR calls out. "She didn't want to wait any further; she wanted to deal the damage almost immediately!"

Bryan is down and out for the time being at the end of the ramp, left in this almost helpless state before the match even started. Meanwhile, Aria heads towards the ring apron, flipping it upwards as she searches for a weapon.

Her acquired object is another one of multiple plain black steel chair used several times across the first round, being used once again, as usual, for absolute carnage. This time, it's before the bell has been given the opportunity to ring and signal the beginning of the match.

"This is going to be trouble, one way or another, with that steel chair!" Joey proclaims as Aria approaches Bryan.

With a swing up and then _down_ , Blaze slams the chair down on Daniel's back as he begins to get up, and he winces immensely as he holds onto the barricade, right in front of the fans, who are all on the side of Bryan in this match, and hating the shit out of Aria for beginning a plan of decimation on him as soon as possible. She's gotta get her anger out on _someone_ , and it seems the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion is the one who has ended up as her target.

Aria smacks Daniel twice more in the back with the chair, until he's back down on the padded flooring of the ringside area.

"She's one hell of an angry little beast, isn't she?" Tazz comments. "You think it's her time of the month?"

"I wouldn't be too sure." JR reminds Tazz.

Joey responds afterwards, "Well, here's hoping we actually manage to get a match, and that no one has to be carried out of the arena – and the Tournament of Fate – on a stretcher!"

* * *

 **Finally, the second round is set to begin! Also, for some reason, I keep typing "second" as "secound" and I don't know why. That's kinda what happens when writer's block hits you before the new year.**

 **Daniel Bryan vs. Aria Blaze officially starts next chapter!**


	31. R2: Daniel Bryan vs Aria Blaze part 1

**Tournament of Fate, Round 2  
Daniel Bryan vs. Aria Blaze, Part 1**

* * *

Living up to the "falls-count-anywhere" ruling within the Extreme Rules stipulation, referee Earl Hebner decides 'Fuck it' and calls for the timekeeper, who rings the bell.

"Well, the bell has rung, and, despite what's going on right now, the match is on..." Jim Ross mentions.

The match has officially started, but not much changed from the get-go in terms of the situation.

Having given herself the upper-hand with the unprovoked attack, justified only by a teammate's frustrations, Aria begins to drag Bryan closer to the ring. It's easy to notice the taste of struggle in her having to bring around the body of someone twice her size, especially one-handed, with the steel chair back in her other hand, for later use.

"Daniel Bryan, clearly on low ground to start with..." Joey Styles states, "...after the assault he's been delivered, thanks to the errant malcontent in Aria Blaze."

"Again, it's _her_ anger, she's letting it out in _her own fashion_ – plain and simple, Joey." Tazz repeats a previous justification.

Back to focusing on the match, as Aria is picking Daniel up with an arm hooked under his armpit. The pitch-black chair in her opposite hand is slightly dented, but still very usable for violence galore. Once again, the size difference not in her favor, and her strength as well...

...but as Aria begins to lift the chair up to the apron of the ring, and as Daniel staggers to his feet from the Dazzling member's lifting force bringing him up...

...he unleashes a swift kick _right to Aria's head_ , sending her spiraling from the whiplash from the foot to the side of her skull!

"Ohh! There's an answer!" Jim Ross briefly shouts.

The chair drops to the floor, knocked out of Blaze's hands – Bryan immediately targets the steel object, plucking it from the ringside floor mere milliseconds after it hit with a brief ' _clang'!_

As Aria completes the 360 rotation that resulted from the force of the head kick, Bryan jabs her in the gut with the top end of the chair to force her bent down, and then brings the chair down on her back with a hard swing downwards on her! She crumples to the ground in an instant!

"And _smacked_ down!" Joey exclaims, uttering ' _smacked_ ' simultaneously alongside the smack of the chair colliding with Aria on the down-swing.

"The local chiropractor's gonna be callin' her any minute now!" Tazz quips.

The crowd is back to a rise of cheers, as D-Bry stands over the fallen punk-dressed Dazzling with the just _slightly_ more dented chair, looking like it's starting to bend in on itself a little with the force of how it crashed down on its target in Daniel's hands.

With his opponent taken down for a turn, going an eye for an eye with the weaponry currently in use, Daniel takes a moment to soak in the support of his die-hard fans, arms raised up with the chair in his right hand.

"There we go – the whole arena is on his side!" Tazz proclaims. "There's not a lot of guys who can really get this much out of the fans when they got the advantage!"

"To say the people in attendance in the Staples Center is really helping with his momentum is a bit of an understatement!" Joey adds. "Especially after a quick recovery from a start like that!"

After a bit of fluctuating in the opening moments of this bout, the pace of it has stuck with a slower kind, now that we're left with one standing tall over another for now, after some mean chair shots to each other to start us off – all the while, within the match, Daniel tosses the chair into the ring, sliding it in under the ropes with ease, before heading back down to Aria.

He casually carries her into the ring, primarily making sure that this match actually manages to take place in the ring for now. It's justifiable for the bearded traditionalist, being a bit more familiar with being inside the squared circle than outside it in a wrestling match, even if it is Extreme Rules tonight.

Daniel distances himself from his opponent, standing near the top right corner of the ring and permitting Aria to be able to take her time in her recovery, which looks fairly hesitant, but relatively still reasonably quick for the beginning minutes of the match.

JR states, "Looks like Daniel Bryan is willing to give Aria a moment of reprieve after that quite chaotic start..."

"It's kinda nice of him to let her be despite the fact that she pretty much took an opportunity to wreck him up a little before the match got started." Tazz mentions. "Maybe he wants calm the match down a little, I dunno..."

As the two competitors in the ring stand in opposite corners for a brief moment longer, it is followed by Aria promptly lunging herself forward, colliding in a grapple with Bryan, a collar-and-elbow tie-up to be specific.

"And the tie-up!" Joey proclaims shortly after said tie-up begins.

The first-things-first of the collar-and-elbow sees Blaze forcing Bryan slowly but surely into the top right corner. Once they begin to stay put in that corner, Aria begins to thrust a knee upwards into Daniel's gut, intending to wear down on whatever body part is most exposed in this position.

"Some ruthless knees to... wear down the opposition..." JR, tone slowly calming, notes as it happens.

After about ten knees worth of strikes, Bryan begins to block any further knees from Aria with one of his legs...

...before finding the most instantaneous way to lock his arms around hers and her back, spinning around and away from the corner...

...and then throwing her down with a belly-to-belly suplex takedown!

"And there's the takedown!" Joey proclaims.

Following up on the belly-to-belly, Bryan goes for a bit of a headlock in the grounded position, looking almost similar to an 'Anaconda Vice', but Aria is quick to fight out of it; mainly, she uses the force of her legs to struggle out, ultimately kipping up whilst still in the Bryan-manned headlock position.

Twisting around, Aria forces Bryan to roll forward onto his back, but he immediately re-turns the tide once again, with a quick headlock takedown to bring her back down, keeping it locked down with little loosening involved. As a result of the angling on her getting thrown around in the takedown, Aria lands on her right side, and it certainly wasn't too clean of a landing for her.

However, after a slightly longer struggle than the previous time around, she still manages to get back up to her feet once again, slowly attempting to separate both of hands from around her neck.

Daniel readjusts accordingly, linking his hands onto her wrists and forcing her into a couple rotations around, before focusing on the left arm with a rough wrenching motion. After a bit more spinning around for the both of them, he manages to get his head under one of her arms...

...before tossing her across the ring with a modified Northern Lights suplex!

"And a Northern Lights!" Joey calls, as Blaze has a rough landing on her back on the ring mat as a result of that move.

"That was a very interesting exchange that just occurred in front of us there!" JR states. "These two have certainly found equal ground between each other, and that's honestly a bit of a surprise, coming between a long-time performer... and someone who's only in her second match of her new-found career..."

Aria Blaze stays on her knees as she locks her eyes back on her opponent across the ring, feeling at her slightly damaged back (mostly resulting from her match with Adagio earlier in this tournament) a bit with one arm while holding the middle rope with the other.

On the other side, Daniel Bryan is in a similar kneeling position, although only one knee in this case in opposed to sitting on both – the chair used by the both of them just a couple moments earlier is on the canvas almost right in front of him. It probably won't be long before he puts it to good use again, but only time will tell within this match.

These two engage in another ring-wide standoff, 100% focused on each other as the crowd applauds momentarily in response to the past minute's worth of surprisingly technical exchanges. Although those exchanges aren't so surprising considering Bryan had been at the helm of them.

"I don't think either of these two were expecting to have this kind of start to their bout... I feel as if they were both assuming the other was going to be easy to keep down, and so were the fans, it seems... but we're all wrong in this case, _by a mile_." Joey Styles details the situation of the match thus far.

Daniel sees the chair laid down on the ring mat right next to him, just as quickly taking notice that Aria sees it just as much as he does. The equalizer is right in their lines of sight, and they _both_ see it as a potential advantage for themselves and a personal disadvantage to their opposition.

Realizing the situation within the squared circle right now, Daniel looks back towards Aria, and beckons her to come and get the chair. She _immediately_ springs forward, running down, gliding across to get the chair, as Bryan hops over her and lands in a position a couple feet behind her.

Bryan practically let Blaze get the chair, but it seems it's all according to his on-the-fly plan of action in this match, as when she gets the steel seat, she swings it at his back, and he swiftly ducks it, as he runs against the ropes in front of him.

Aria tries again for a shot with the chair as Bryan runs in her direction, but he ducks once again, rebounding off the ropes behind her...

...before jumping up and planting both of his feet into her face, as she turns around and tastes a dropkick that knocks her across, and forces the chair out of her hands!

"A big dropkick to do no favors to Aria!" Joey proclaims immediately off the impact of Bryan's feet meeting front and center with Aria's face.

"Knocks the chair outta her hands, just as quickly as she got 'em!" Tazz additionally notes, as the Dazzling member makes another rough landing on her side off the dropkick.

Right off the dropkick, before getting fully back up on his feet again, Daniel scampers forward and grabs the black-tinted chair, clutching onto both of its sides as he sees Aria getting back to her feet after the previous connecting attack...

...before throwing the chair right onto her head~! The projectile chair bounces off Aria's head with one of the loudest echoing smacks of metal-against-body of the night, and all the while, the collusion results in spiraling through the ropes and onto the outside!

" _Jesus_ Christ!" Joey briefly winces from the Sabu-style chair throw to the skull.

"Shades of ECW's Sabu with that tossed chair to the face, and Aria gets sent to the outside!" Jim Ross mentions the semi-obvious nod to the ECW alumnus.

"Yeah, and like Sabu himself, that kind of chair shot is _insane,_ even by today's standards!" Joey agrees.

The position of the competitors is as follows, with Aria Blaze knocked out of the ring, laying down and trying to get up at ringside, while Daniel Bryan is standing in the center of the ring, and at the center of attention from the audience. The placement of the two between inside the ring and out of it seems about right for something big, and the fans are certainly aware of it.

Certainly an amazing atmosphere with the legion of **YES** going about, with its rising chants reemerging. The bushy-bearded superstar looks across the columns among columns of fans awaiting his next move, and as usual, it's a flattering thing for him. _They_ know what's coming up, _he_ knows what he's about to do, and everyone is ready to see how this pans out.

"Uh-oh! I think we're gonna see goats go flyin'!" Tazz quips

Heading for major air, Daniel then makes a mad dash into the ropes behind him, his target clear as he prepares to jump through the ropes...

...but at the same time, Aria manages to slide back into the ring, at an instant blocking Bryan's straight-forward path…

...before kneeling down and putting him to a halt with an abrupt low blow, catching him with her elbow, right to his nads! The crowd unanimously groans in pain before fading into boos as Daniel ultimately suffers as a result, bent over as his speed is cut down from the interruption.

"Ohh, how unfortunate for D-Bry!" Joey utters, almost feeling the sting of the low blow himself.

"Taking the anything-goes rule to a mile with that!" Tazz adds, reminding viewers of the usual illegality of a low blow, now completely unpunishable in Extreme Rules.

In the seconds following the below-the-belt elbow, Blaze suddenly swoops over Bryan and hooks an arm under him, forcing him up and over into a schoolboy pin! A quick advantage taken by the rebellious babe!

"Hooking in the schoolboy, taking the opportunity!" JR quickly states as the referee heads into position for the cover.

 **1! 2—kick-out!**

"1, 2, and not yet!" Joey announces as Daniel kicks out of the roll-up. "There's still some fighting left to do for this match!"

Escaping the pinfall, Daniel flops down onto the mat face-down, with Aria in a similar position right near him. Crawling back up to his feet very quickly, grabs Aria with an arm around her neck in a front necklock position. Draping one of her arms over his head, Daniel looks to be going for a vertical suplex of sorts.

With much ease, he gets her lifted upwards and upside-down in the suplex position, stalling for a brief moment to maintain his balance...

...but somehow she manages to squirm out in the middle of the move, managing to land on her feet right behind him...!

Aria then immediately drops down onto her back on the canvas and brings her left arm upwards in between Bryan's legs, going for another schoolboy attempt as her hand attempts to push down on him on his stomach right from under him! However, this time around, Daniel manages to have a combination of power and balance at his side, recovering well from the low-blow and having more of a chance to reverse the roll-up attempt.

"Aria Blaze again going for the quick roll-up, but _whooaa_ wait a minute..." Joey reacts accordingly to the situation occurring right now.

"Daniel Bryan isn't one to be caught with the same move twice in a row," Jim Ross proclaims, "and he sure as hell isn't going to be rolled up so easily, so soon after the last time!"

After a moment of topsy-turvy struggle between the two on opposite sides of a schoolboy roll-up pin, Daniel ultimately drops a knee right on Aria's rolling-up arm!

"Ohh!" Joey winces. "And the Aberdeen Underdog drops the knee to stop Aria in her tracks!"

After pinning down Aria's left arm with a sole knee to completely deny her maneuver, Daniel grabs her arm, and then, after a little bit of spinning around to find the right position, manages to lock in a tight arm-breaker on her!

The submission is locked in thoroughly, and with what Aria has been through so far tonight, she's just a little more vulnerable right now in this hold than she would be back in the first round of the tournament!

"The arm-breaker is locked down, and here's a submission attempt!" Joey announces the move.

"Jeez, if I were her, I would _not_ want to be in that hold, especially if I dislocated my shoulder in the first round!" Tazz puts over the continuity of Aria's shoulder coming from the first bout with Adagio.

JR notes afterwards, "It really depends on how much she's built up in her durability following the match that nearly done her in, after managing to advance to the second round of this Tournament of Fate!"

Yes indeed, at this point, in the situation she's been forced into in the middle of this ring, for Aria, it's either **tap** or **snap...**

* * *

 **And there's the end of Part 1 of this match – Part 2 will come by somewhere within the next week or so. Read, review, fave, do whatever and thanks for supporting!**


	32. R2: Daniel Bryan vs Aria Blaze part 2

**Tournament of Fate, Round 2  
Daniel Bryan vs. Aria Blaze, Part 2**

* * *

The pressure on her arm is really wearing down on Aria Blaze now, with Daniel Bryan's submission talents forcing her into a disadvantaged state. She doesn't want to quit just yet, even with senior referee Earl Hebner looming over her, monitoring her in case a tap-out occurs, even having to ask "What do you say? Do you give up?" just to be sure.

Of course the answer is no at this stage, but it could change in an instant.

"This match has slowed down a bit, and for good reason – it takes a lot of focus to try and keep a good submission hold in for this long." Joey Styles details the submission situation that continues in front of him and his fellow commentary partners.

A good minute passes at the point that Aria's struggles begin to get her somewhere, as the building force coming from her previous attempts to escape start to stack up, leaving her able to force herself a bit off the ground, and in turn push him down at his shoulders closer to the mat.

Maybe she could sneak a pinfall out of him, if she could just get his shoulders touching the mat. Referee Earl is watching even closer, focusing on both Daniel's submission and his shoulders inching towards the ring canvas.

However, despite much of a fight so far against this locked-tight stretch, Blaze doesn't seem to have enough in her at this point to get her opponent pinned down completely, with one shoulder touching the white canvas underneath them, and another a couple inches too far above to properly count it.

 _Fuck it. Time to clobber._

With no further 'smart' ideas, Aria goes ahead to start _throwing down fists at Daniel's face_! Hammering fists and the occasional elbow right down at his face!

"Whoa, look out!" Tazz shouts as Aria starts throwing punches while still within the arm-breaker hold.

"And now she's just resorted to _literally_ fighting her way out with full force!" Joey calls.

And by the looks of it, it seems to work pretty well, as Daniel ends up having to give up the submission, throwing Aria Blaze off of him with mostly leg strength.

Aria holds her left shoulder, checking to be sure she came out of that submission with nothing dislocated – it'd be pretty damn frustrating to have to pop it back in again...

Her brief self-examination seems to distract her for too long, however, as she finds herself having little time to block an incoming kick from Bryan, aiming straight for her head again!

She still manages to take most of the kick's impact to the head, only blocking a bit of the impact with a hand raised up at the last second, and that high-rising blow is enough on her to bring her down to her knees.

"And another hard kick to bring the Dazzling member down!" Joey Styles announces.

With Aria kneeling down in a mostly-vulnerable and open state, Bryan quickly guns in to take advantage...

...as he throws some swift kicks to her chest to wear down on her – all the while, the "YES!" chants went along with the rhythm of the kicks connecting with slightly audible _thwacks_ with each impacting blow.

Another kick, after another, _and another, and another!_

Then he backs up to charge up the combo-finishing strike, as the crowd awaits in anticipation...

...and he nails it! One more thrusting kick right to the skull of Aria, and she promptly falls to the canvas!

"The cavalcade of kicks is once again enough to bring the opponent down a notch!" Jim Ross states out loud. "This match could be reaching its eventual end sometime soon!

"Again, some pretty great kicks to get Aria out of her head!" Tazz additionally notes after JR says his stuff. "Looks like she's not gonna make it to the next round! …Not that she had a big chance to begin with considering this match..."

The odds have certainly rolled over to Daniel Bryan's favor, although those odds could fluctuate back to Aria Blaze at any moment as doesn't go for the cover, but rather picks her back up while she's down and out of it.

Looking mostly to finish the match and get to the next round with as decisive a victory as possible, Daniel has Aria's left arm hooked as he seems to plan for the "Yes Lock" to finish, as is the standard for his match finishes.

However, as he yanks down on her arm to take her down...

...it just _doesn't_ seem to go that way.

Blaze keeps her feet planted on this specific spot of the ring canvas that she stands, pretty much refusing to go down and get locked into D-Bry's submission.

"Uh-oh... she still got some left in the tank!" Tazz proclaims, a bit surprised that could be managing a reversal against the Yes Lock at the twilight of this match.

And surprisingly, Aria manages to slither her moderately worn-down arm out of Daniel's hands, getting behind him as everything seems to turn back around for her.

She looks to be going for the Hook-And-Ladder finish that helped score her the victory against Adagio several matches earlier, as she has Bryan's arms forced behind his back in the Tiger Suplex-esque position.

"This isn't looking good!" Joey briefly proclaims as Blaze readies for the finishing move.

The preparation for the finish, however, seems to leave her and scamper off from under Aria, as there doesn't seem to be enough strength in her to lift Bryan off his feet properly for the underhook facebuster. She nearly _stumbles and falls_ as a result, as gradually manages to escape the position, and wrap himself behind her in turn.

Forcing Aria into the exact same position as she had on him just seconds prior, doesn't seem to be looking to steal her finish...

...instead going for something of his own terms, as he lifts her and twists around, aiming towards the center of the ring...

...as he splatters her neck-and-shoulder first onto the ring canvas with the Tiger Suplex!

"Daniel responds with the Tiger Suplex across the ring!" Joey optimistically calls.

"That was certainly an ugly landing!" JR proclaims.

At this point, Bryan has clearly gotten a handle onto Aria, keeping her down and stealing the momentum out from under her as he holds onto her from behind – they both get back to their feet, Aria clearly too far out of it to truly escape...

...as Bryan sends her back across with a German Suplex this time! Head and shoulders splattered into the canvas once again!

"And the German! Daniel starting to get a combo going!" Joey comments.

D-Bry is _still_ locked around Aria's waist, as he forces her back up with him and shifts into another slightly different position afterwards to sweeten the combo even further...

"And now what's next?" JR asks, expecting the answer within the next few seconds.

Bryan ducks down underneath Blaze, forcing her atop his shoulders in the ever-dangerous Electric Chair position. He grips tightly onto the pantlegs of the Dazzlings member's bright violet (albeit slightly blood-sprinkled) jeans as he keeps her lifted five feet above the canvas, taking his sweet time as he walks around, carrying the purple-skinned rebel without much of any struggle.

"Okay, _this_ is one of those things I really love to see in a match!" Tazz mentions, chuckling to himself in enjoyment of the situation in the ring right now. "When someone gets the advantage, and they just enjoy the hell out of it before getting the job done!"

"Well, pro wrestling certainly wouldn't be as big as it is now, if it wasn't for the showmanship of the superstars," JR agrees for the most part, "but... you wouldn't want to show off _too_ much..."

The reason behind that last statement from Jim Ross reaches its origin from the next moment of the match, as Aria suddenly begins to come back into it after the last few suplexes. She starts to punch Daniel in the head below herself, fighting her way out of the Electric Chair position as frantically as possible...

...leading into a sudden Victory Roll pin, with Aria spiraling herself down at Bryan, rolling the both of them into a two-person ball of whatever-the-fuck, with Daniel's shoulders being forced on the mat!

"Whoa! We got a roll-up!" Tazz shouts as it happens. "Could this be it?!"

Hebner is very briefly caught off-guard by the roll-up, but he goes in to count the pin!

"Cover!" Joey shouts as the referee slaps the white canvas below him the first time.

 **1! 2!**

Bushy-bearded Bryan escapes the pinfall, yet not by kicking out with full force, but rather forcing Aria backwards in the balled-up position so that it's _her_ shoulders on the canvas!

"And a rever—what the _hell_?" Joey is a little perplexed as Bryan reverses the pin on him into his own on his opponent.

Referee Earl tries again...!

 **1! 2!**

And gets out of there, forcing herself forwards, and now Bryan gets his shoulders forced back down again, right in the same exact place as he was intially in this odd position!

"And—and _again_?" Now Tazz has stumbled into a mental roadblock on what to call this, or even _how_. "Uhhh..."

Earl is at least lucky that he doesn't need to make any big adjustments in his position to keep up with each pin he counts.

 **1! 2!**

And Aria is rolled back down into the wrong end of the pin, as Bryan takes over again.

 **1! 2!**

Aaaand the cycle begins anew with Aria overtaking Daniel. _Again._

 **1! 2!**

As the back-and-forth pins continue, JR chimes in. "Well, fans... I think we're starting to see the results of a stalemate of sorts... the commentary will continue on as this... well, _continues_."

One thing's for certain at this point – by the end of this exchange, someone is either going to find the sense to power out of the position completely and get the hell out of there, or they're gonna be a moment too late and end up getting 3-counted, resulting in an eaten loss, and a boot right out of the Tournament of Fate.

However, after almost a half-minute longer...

 **1! 2!**

And a final kick out in the sequence, as Bryan powers out from under Aria!

"And there's the kick out, after a long but odd struggle to boot!" Jim Ross proclaims.

"That was certainly something!" Tazz adds.

Being forced out of the pinfall at such a force causes Aria to be sent across the ring, landing stomach-first on the canvas before scampering back up to her feet at a moment's notice.

She turns towards her opponent as she gets up following that pinfall-based sequence, running forwards at full speed...

...only to be caught with a very sharp boot to the side of the head, as Bryan brings a leg up to halt Blaze in her tracks!

"Aria's quick to get up, but Bryan just about catches her with the big boot to the face!" Joey Styles proclaims, as Aria staggers in a massive way.

With a bit of a spin, Daniel dashes forward to strike the groggy Aria while she's open with a European uppercut across the jaw!

"And an uppercut to take advantage!" JR notes the additional strike.

The uppercut causes the punk-garbed Dazzling member to stumble into the top right corner, leaning against the turnbuckles as D-Bry follows her to continue the fight!

Daniel Bryan wears down massively on Aria Blaze with no end in near sight, as he starts with full-fledged kicks to her chest, accompanied by rapid-fire "YES!" chants as he goes on.

He switches to a slightly different offense, as he goes for elbows and punches across Aria's face, relentlessly to keep his own momentum in check against the opponent, in an attempt to guarantee a spot in the third round of this Tournament of Fate. The "YES!" chants have not faded for a second during all this, and it looks like they won't for the duration of the rest of this one-sided battle for dominance in the corner.

"He is just going all out right now, just not letting up on his opponent!" Joey addresses this moment.

"Daniel Bryan will not let this reckless rookie get the best of him, not on his watch!" JR proclaims. "If Paul Heyman is watching right now, he must be impressed with the aggression being shown here!"

Joey afterwards responds, "I'm sure he loves it!"

Giving Blaze only a second to breath as he backs away from her for a moment, Daniel rebounds off the ropes to his left to get some momentum going, as he comes back with a sick dropkick to Aria's back as she turns around. This forces her head and chest to smack against the turnbuckles, hard enough for her to bounce off and leave her once again in a groggy state.

Standing behind Aria as she bounces off the turnbuckles, Bryan grapples her from behind once more. He hooks one of her legs with one arm and has his other arm over one of her shoulders. He keeps the position locked in for a moment, to check first that she's securely trapped in the position before going ahead...

...and then sends her flipping across the ring, landing face-down onto the canvas after a brutal belly-to-back suplex!

"Shades of William Regal was that belly-to-back!" Jim Ross proclaims with a solid callback.

Rolling backwards, away from the corner near him, Bryan approaches Aria's writhing body in an on-ground position to follow up on the suplex.

He grabs Aria's left arm and begins to drive some rough elbows down on the arm to weaken it a bit more, before gaining a position within a modified Fujiwara armbar of sorts...

...but not long after, he switches his position into an omoplata entaglement, with his legs going around her arm, _before fully locking in the Yes Lock_!

"And there it is!" Jim Ross shouts. "The Yes Lock is finally locked in!"

"I think Aria's chances of winning just went kaput!" Tazz quips.

Even when locked into Bryan's signature submission, Aria Blaze is at first a bit disoriented and unknown of where she is, but her realization is quick but a bit too late, as she can't seem to find a way out.

"Aria has _not_ had enough experience to figure out this submission; she's certainly done for!" Joey justifies how screwed the Dazzling member is at this point.

Referee Earl Hebner is crouched down in a perfect position to see and determine if a tap-out occurs, watching and waiting for the inevitable...

Aria flails her right arm around to grab something and try to drag herself near the ropes, and and the same time kicking at the canvas underneath her to try and get at least just a bit closer to those ropes.

However, she can't seem to manage much in terms of movement, pretty much locked down in one exact spot in the ring, near the center.

…

With no believeable chance at escaping left in Aria's mind...

...

...she taps out!

"And it's over!" JR shouts, as the bell rings once Aria's surrender to the Yes Lock is confirmed by the referee.

 _("Flight of the Valkyries" - Jim Johnston)_

" **The winner of this match... Daniel Bryan!"**

Referee Hebner raises Bryan's arm to confirm his triumphant effort over the inexperienced siren.

"Daniel Bryan is the first to advance to the third round of the Tournament of Fate, and these fans love it!" Joey Styles announces.

"These fans just can't get enough of good ol' D-Bry!" Tazz says. "And the three of us here really enjoy what he's done in the tournament so far!"

"I'm sure Paul Heyman is pleased with the results, especially after Bryan made a comeback following that pre-match beating he took..." Joey reflects back to moments earlier.

That is the trigger for the online broadcast to show a replay of Aria Blaze beating down D-Bry at the beginning of the match with not only her fists but with that steel chair that came into play a couple more times once the match went officially underway not long after.

Then afterwards, some more replays of during the match occur, ending with the finish, where Bryan tosses Blaze across the ring with the leg-hooked belly-to-back suplex ( _often called the Regal-Plex when done by the UK legend_ ), and then locks in the Yes Lock, forcing her to tap the fuck out and eliminate her from the Tournament of Fate.

In the ring, once the replays finish up, Daniel is once again leading a chorus of "YES! YES! YES!", pointing to the sky with all his might as Aria is rolled out of the ring by the official. Aria looks to be getting examined for a brief moment by ringside officials, checking up on her previously-injured left arm, primarily her shoulder.

"The comeback of the American Dragon has certainly got him to a fairly high point thus far," JR states, "but with the competition perhaps growing stronger, what with the cast of characters who have advanced to the second round earlier tonight, will that momentum lead Daniel Bryan to becoming the crowned winner of the Tournament of Fate and being considered the first top man in Ultimatum Wrestling Underground? We'll find out as this event continues live!"

We fade out of the scene on Bryan's continued celebration in the ring...

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed the match I put together. Sorry for the delay – I had to deal with some exams at school earlier this week, so I haven't had a lot of time to write throughout the week.**

 **Another note: there won't be much in terms of between-match scenes for the second round, up until after, where there will be quite a bit of stuff to go through in terms of the story.**

 **Until next time...**


	33. PRE-MATCH: Your Thoughts, If Any Come By

Back to the interview space again...

Jeremy Borash speaks into the microphone... "Ladies and gentlemen, with me at this time, one of the competitors to have not advanced past the first round of the Tournament of Fate... please welcome Dean Ambrose."

Dean walks into view as the cameraman pans over to focus on him for a moment. He looks as casually unkempt as ever, just a slightly bit more than usual after his brutal match not long ago, as the bandage on his head shows...

Borash continues, "Now Dean, you've just come off a big loss in the last match of the tournament's opening round – you've had some time to think in between rounds... tell us, what's next for the 'Lunatic Fringe'?"

With the interviewer's microphone pointed at him, the spotlight's all on Ambrose, as the people in attendance want to know his thoughts. ...However, it seems that the question sparks a bit of a chuckle out of him.

After that little chuckle, and a bit of shoulder-shimmying, Dean's verbal response begins. "You say that like I know... C'mon, J.B., look at me – I'm not the kind of guy you'd expect to have a 'five-phase plan' or some shit for anything and _everything_ that comes my way. Although, if I did... I _probably_ would've been able to win tonight. But I didn't... no, I got my _ass kicked_ in that ring... and I'm not talkin' about the stuff you see in the WWE, I'm talkin' the grade-A, R-rated, rip-and-tear, **blood and guts** _ **galore**_ sort of shit... the kind of shit that I haven't really felt that much of since I left the Combat Zone."

Some can faintly hear a handful of fans attempt a "C-Z-DUB!" chant that doesn't have much momentum going in it, within the brief beat in Dean's little speech here...

Ambrose continues... "So what you should be asking me, J.B., is 'Did it feel good?'" He stops to pause, before nodding with a slight increase in terms of a smile across his face. "Hell yeah it did. So what if I didn't win? So what if Roman didn't win? Even if we don't have any more opportunities in this place to kick some ass in this tournament, we've still shown that we can put Paul Heyman's money where his mouth is, and we can keep going, 'cause there's still the big fish to try in this tournament: there's the turd-breathed Beast, Brock Lesnar, someone that Roman and I could've faced at Fastlane... but with all the bullshit that's gone down, there's probably not gonna _be_ a Fastlane by the time we come back... and then there's the Canadian douchebag himself, Kevin Owens."

Some boos upon the mention of KO. The people here in Cali aren't much of a fan of him, probably moreso after his trimphant effort against NXT Champion Finn Balor.

With that, Ambrose's rant on the Canadian champion begins. "Now, I go back a little bit more with Owens – just last month, we've been tearin' each other apart... ...and the reason I simply keep going at him, wanting to kick his ass, is pretty simple; he goes around this place, saying he's doing this to get the big payday for his family, but I can see through his bullshit. Especially with Heyman on his side, I can guarantee that he's jus trying to make Big Kev the champion of this place, and I think we can all see why; he's just a greedy, fat little punk who enjoys bullying the shit out of the guys that stand in his way – just look what he did to Finn Balor in that ring a few matches back tonight. Look at what he did to that weird girl who loves to hug everyone or some shit—Bayley, was it?—y'know what, doesn't matter – look what happened with her... And that's not even the thick of it – there's also Sami and Ryback, Cena and Cesaro, the list goes all the way back to even before NXT with guys like El Generico, Mike Bennett, Brian Cage, the Briscoes, _et cetera-et cetera, baby, the hitlist just kept growin'!_ "

At this point, Ambrose has to stop himself, hold himself back, calm himself down a bit, as the intensity in listing the variety of names was getting a bit overcharged.

Re-mellowed, he continues once more. "Now, _I_ might not be the one who could take him down... and Roman probably won't be able to do what I can't right now, either... but the two of us, we're not alone – we got Daniel Bryan – we all know how talented he is, how he even made retirement tap out, then there's that weird girl, 'Star Butterfly' – even weirder than Bayley, and on top of that, she's only a teenager, then there's that other girl – a pretty smokin' hot babe who knows what she's doing, and you could bet that if I wasn't already taken, she's probably the next big thing. Bottom line is this... when you got all these friends with you in the tournament, there's a good chance you're gonna be able to celebrate with at least one of them at the end of the night. We're not here for money... we're not here just to be famous... we're here to show Heyman that his 'guys' aren't gonna live up to the hype when all of this is over."

Now with Ambrose's thoughts, whatever you can call all that, completely laid out there in front of the widespread audience, Heremy Borash gives a few words of his own. "Well... thank you for your time, Dean."

Ambrose replies. "No problem, man. If you need to catch up with me a little later down the line, that's fine, but for now... I've got a tournament to watch."

The 'Lunatic Fringe' exits stage left, as Borash turns to the camera.

Signalling to the commentators at ringside, J.B. proclaims. "With that, back to you."

* * *

A fade back to the arena, where the lights around the ring are shining bright...

…

 _("Next Big Thing" - Jim Johnston)_

That recognizable distorted guitar noise sounds off, signalling the very start of the next match, as the fans are ready to watch someone take another trip to "Suplex City".

The Beast himself, looking just about 100% after some time to sit back and spectate following a match in the early point of the Tournament, stands in front and center on-stage. Once again, his manager Paul Heyman is too busy with business to be by his side, and at this point, he probably doesn't need the backup, with how well he's dominated everyone in the past couple years from Cena to the Rumble.

" **The following is the next match in this second round of the Tournament of Fate! Introducing first, residing in Maryfield, Saskatchewan, Canada... weighing in at 286 pounds... the Beast Incarnate, Brock _LESNAR!_ "**

"Once again, the Beast Incarnate makes his way to the ring..." Jim Ross announces.

"Lesnar had advanced to the second round of the Tournament of Fate by defeating WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin, in Austin's first match in over a decade." Joey Styles recaps. "Sure, Austin has been reknown as one of the toughest 'S. ' in the Attitude Era, but to Brock, he was simply a brick wall that Brock was capable to breaking down with his fists, and his suplexes, alone."

Tazz laments about several things... "I feel bad for the poor sport who's been set up to face this guy in the ring up next... if he can break through Stone Cold with barely a sweat broken, and if even Hogan and Cena couldn't get the job done, then... well, we may be looking at the King of the Tournament of Fate..."

"I wouldn't be surprised to see that, Tazz," JR agrees, "and I'm sure Paul Heyman would be happy to see that happen..."

In the ring, standing right in the center of the squared circle, Lesnar turns his head towards the stage, waiting to see who the unfortunate victim will be.

…

 _Space Unicorn!  
Soaring through the stars!  
Delivering the rainbows all around the world!_

 _("Space Unicorn" - Parry Gripp)_

The next theme could really only be for one person – the most bizarre of the sixteen competitors in the tournament, specially within Round 2.

" **And his opponent... from Mewni, Princess Star Butterfly!"**

The happy-go-lucky oddball with the devil-horned headband skips out into clear view in the arena, with the same optimism as before, most likely oblivious to who she's been set up with.

Although Star still retains the great pop that lingered from before her first round match, the vast majority of the crowd have realized at this point that they are about to see her potentially get manhandled by _Brock Lesnar_. Not a good sign.

Tazz can't help but burst into a brief fit of laughter, even if it's at a bad point to do so. "Alright... guess I'm bettin' on Lesnar, 'cause there's _no_ way he's not losin' to _her_!"

"Well, it may be a funny sight to see for you, Tazz, but I'm honestly very worried about this competitor in Star Butterfly." Jim Ross responds. "Sure, she may have managed to make it to the second round of the Tournament of Fate, but given what people think of her on social media tonight, especially on Twitter where ' _#TournamentOfFate_ ' is trending amongst the top 10, she's very much an underdog, not only in size, but in age, as she's the youngest competitor in the tournament by far!"

"In the last round, having pinned and defeated Sherry Birkin, someone who we've yet to know much of a reason for _her_ entry in the Tournament of Fate, Princess Butterfly still looks to be excited to compete." Joey Styles mentions. "Even if she's against someone like _Brock Lesnar_ , she's always spreading positivity across the arena – if she could pass off as an unofficial member of the New Day, she _could_!"

Stopping her movement down the aisle to stand at the bottom of the ramp, looking up at the ring, Star doesn't look frightened by the presence of Brock Lesnar in that ring, more that she looks... _intrigued_ , as she gnaws on the ball-end of her wand in deep thought. She's dealt with huge monsters in the past, so seeing someone like Lesnar isn't really that much different it seems.

Meanwhile, Brock can really only respond with an amused smirk, considering to be a good ol' comical jobber in his mind. Just easy pickings for him, and an odd circumstance as a result of the Tournament of Fate's bracketology.

Earl Hebner, officiating as he has always been, in every match up to this point and perhaps onwards, intends to keep Brock from getting out of the ring to deliver a cheap shot much like how Aria Blaze did to Daniel Bryan in just the previous match alone, but Lesnar doesn't seem bothered to do that, watching on as Star slides under the ropes to meet him in the ring.

JR attempts to give some optimism and hype to this match as it is about to begin... "Only one of these two will meet Daniel Bryan in the third round of the Tournament of Fate... even if it's most likely a foregone conclusion given the size difference, we might be looking at a fairly entertaining match that'll live up to whatever hype there might have been between their matches and this one."

* * *

 **And with that, we're at the end of the chapter.**

 **So yeah, I've been in a bit of a low point this year already. School work, plus making a few YouTube videos and waiting for the family's tax returns so I can get the PS4 and WWE 2K17, has really worn down on me.**

 **So will Brock vs. Star be as one-sided as match as Braun Strowman vs. James Ellsworth? Or does the Princess of Mewni have some tricks up her sleeve that have the potential to tame the Beast? Find out next time!**


	34. R2: Brock Lesnar vs Star Butterfly

**Tournament of Fate, Round 2  
Brock Lesnar vs. Star Butterfly**

 _ **One part is really all that's needed for this match.**_

* * *

"Fans, I don't think there's ever been a mismatch when it comes to size, that's been as ridiculous as this..."

Those words from Joey Styles could not be any more true with what we have in the ring.

"Brock Lesnar stands at six-foot-three, 286 pounds..." Jim Ross details the situation, first describing the Beast Incarnate, staring down at his opponent with the cockiest grin he could ever spawn, expecting an easy win at best, and barely much of a fight at worst. Needless to say, Brock pretty much has a pass to the semi-finals at this rate.

JR continues as he jumps to the other side of the bout, in the form of an eccentric princess. "On the other hand... Princess Star Butterfly, probably only half the height that Brock is, from the looks of things, and most certainly less than half the weight as well..."

Star is surprisingly calm and collected, her confidence measured by all the monsters she's brought down in the past.

Earl Hebner, continuing his referee duties for the umpteenth time, has the two competitors back off into their respective corners. It's his responsibility to call the match down the middle, and to start it _properly_.

"Earl better try his best to keep someone from getting torn apart in this match, and believe me, I think we all know who is likely to be the one doing the tearing around here, and who's getting torn." Tazz comments.

Tazz probably could've put that into better words, but that's just him being him. On top of that commentary, a fairly audible "PLEASE DON'T DIE!" chant seems somewhat crowd-wide, although not really at the peak of volume; despite that, it's easy to tell who it's being chanted to, given the _massive_ size difference, no jokes aside, being presented here. If you thought Rey Mysterio being a small dude facing larger guys like Big Show or the Great Khali was David vs. Goliath at its finest, we might see the bar get raised for that here.

However, as Hebner gets ready to signal the timekeeper's ring of the bell, Star steps over to him and halts him for a second.

"Gimme a sec, ref..." she says, her wand of whimsical weaponry still in hand, as she steps back into her corner, and with a quick twirl of the otherworldly object...

...something fires off from the bottom end of the wand's handle, flying up about 20 feet into the air before she sets her wand down and catches it dual-handed. As the Mewman Princess holds the object, it becomes clear to the fans watching that it is a kendo stick of some sort, in a odd vibrant pink color.

Regardless of its look, it certainly got a pop out of the fans, and even sprung something out of Lesnar, who is just simply baffled, while at the same time, it looks like he's trying not to laugh at it. Star's expression, on the other hand, isn't as much a smile out of humor as much as it is a smirk of confidence pretty much challenging the bigger man.

"Uhh, alright! I-I guess...?" Tazz can't really put shit into words in a way where he could respond properly.

Joey agrees, to shortly put it. "My thoughts exactly."

Earl Hebner shrugs, and rings the bell.

As the bell rings, Star seems about ready to explode right out of the corner and pounce on the Beast whenever he was ready, but Brock didn't look to be in a rush. Knowing that he'll certainly bring more damage to the Princess than she will deal to him, Brock kneels down in the corner, and simply beckons the smaller opponent to give it her best shot.

It definitely looks like she will, as Butterfly lets out a battle scream that even the cheap seats could hear as she made an attempt to break past the speed of sound with the run she does, before slamming the kendo stick at Brock, smacking him firstly on the left shoulder and arm, before targeting up and down on the head and leg. However, it doesn't really seem to budge Lesnar much – it does do a bit of damage, but with how he's bracing it, he's just simply giving her a head start, it seems.

Despite the constant smacking against that tough bastard's body, the bright pink stick doesn't seem to crack one bit in Star's hands, as she backs off with all the adrenaline she can handle under her grasp. She then runs back again, with another scream, as she jumps up at her opponent...

...only for Brock to thrust a shoulder up to heave her right over his head, sending her right over the ropes and out of the ring, splattering onto her back as roughly as possible on the outside floor. The fans recoiled as expected with such a harsh landing, and so do the commentators.

"Oof, tossed like a garbage bag!" Joey Styles proclaims following that unfortunate landing.

At the same time, the somewhat psychotic princess seems to let loose her magical kendo stick of weird technicolors, which ultimately ends up in Brock Lesnar's hand, catching it before it hits the ring mat.

While Star lies down at ringside, very slow to recover, Lesnar steps closer to the center within the ring with the stick, looking at it with a still slightly baffled grin, considering it the ridiculous-looking piece of something that he wants to think of it as.

He grapples onto the pink kendo stick like a steering wheel, and begins to lift it up, much to the discontent of the crowd. He then brings it right down to his knee...!

...and it doesn't break one bit. Legit thrusting the stick down onto one of his knees as hard as possible somehow looks to have done more damage to Brock himself than the object of interest.

Growing a little bit frustrated with the thing, the Beast attempts to bend it in half, but even with a steady grip onto it with both hand and enough struggle to pop a vein and some sweat out of him, the magical cane just doesn't want to snap in any pieces whatsoever tonight.

Ultimately, Lesnar just throws it down, shouting "Fuck this!" quite audibly as he does it.

"That's, uh, quite the tough cane..." Tazz gives a quip, as scattered laughter came about the relieved audience.

When it gets thrown down by Brock. Star's pink kendo stick lands on one of its ends, causing it to bounce off the mat, right out of the ring...

...and right back into the hands of the now-recovered Princess of Mewni, as she spots it flying out of the ring in her direction, and makes her catching precision pay off quite unexpectedly.

Joey is the first of the three commentators to take notice of Star's natch catch, and is very briefly amazed. "Whoa whoa! Whoa-whoa-whoa!"

Star makes a quick break for the ring, sliding in while Brock faces away, and she starts swinging away at the tattooed back of the MMA-wrestler hybrid; this time, Lesnar does manage to budge a bit more, as a result of him not really being prepared for what's coming. Even then, it doesn't do a _lot_ , but it's worth getting a bit of momentum onto Star's side.

"Look at the swinging of the kendo sword, all over the back of Brock!" Jim Ross shouts optimistically as Star tries to batter the Beast down.

"When you're looking to win it all and have a brickhouse like Brock in the way, the best strategy is to just hit 'im as hard as you can!" Tazz states.

After a good ten seconds of getting the smackdown laid into him with that neon pink stick, it starts to really piss Brock off, as he thrusts a foot forward at the stick-toting princess, kicking her right in the chest with enough force to knock her across and into the top right corner of the ring.

Despite the kick, one that could potentially break a rib on someone the size of Star, it does little to stagger her composure and will to battle, as she grabs the ropes on both sides of the top turnbuckle and lifts herself up one by one until she stood on top.

Her balance upon the top turnbuckle isn't exactly perfect, but it's enough to give her time to point her weapon at Brock, but that seems to be the only thing she could manage to do, before the bulky brawler sweeps her legs out from under her with one quick flick of the arm around the corner.

Sure, the padding of the turnbuckles does cushion some of the blow that Butterfly takes to the head on such a bumpy path back down to ground level in the ring, but that does anything but prepare her for what comes next. Lesnar grapples her in a tight-gripped bearhug of sorts for a brief moment, as he lifts her off the ground...

...and flings her across with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex!

"Oof!" JR grunts. "So much for the momentum shift..."

"Yeah, it seems as if that's as much offense 'Little Miss Butterfly' is going to get at this rate." Joey adds.

Despite the disorientation caused by the overhead throw, Star _still_ has her hand locked down around that brightly colored stick, almost as if it's glued to her hand.

Lesnar steps towards the laid-out princess before him, taking his sweet damn time to do his fair share of offense. It's not like his opponent's going to deliver a big enough momentum-shifting move to turn the tide any time soon, even if it was something cheap like a low blow, or the interference of someone stronger; neither of those ideas can really do as much, especially when his opponent is as mismatched as the eccentric blonde princess that he's been set up against.

Jim Ross voices his discontent with how things are going for the inter-dimensional teenager stuck in dire straits. "I don't like how this is going... not _one_ bit..."

Wrapping his arms around the young girl's body, in a position that perfectly sets him up for a gutwrench suplex on her, Lesnar carries her around as if she was his luggage at the airport – highly feisty luggage at that, as Princess Butterfly attempts to break free by flailing herself around in his arms, whacking him in the back with the stick of whatever the hell the pinkness of it represents, but no dice.

Throwing Star upwards and flipping her over in mid-flight, Lesnar catches her with her legs landing on his shoulders...

...before dropping her damn near on her head with a barely-safe powerbomb! It's certainly a sickening sight to the audience, with a booming, unanimous groan from the newly-formed fanbase in their seats.

"A careless powerbomb – Brock's no stickler for safety, that's for sure." Joey Styles comments, attempting to remain professional despite the manhandling going on; there's some worse things he's witnessed while on live commentary, but it's not like this is far away from those moments.

"Usually, we'd see a pin when a roughhouse beat-down comes around like this, but this is Brock Lesnar who's in control; it might as well not be over until the stretcher comes out." Tazz gives his thoughts. "And even then, maybe he'll take that kid and swing her against the ring post – wouldn't be the first time he's done it."

Indeed, Brock doesn't go for a pin, instead soaking in the boos of the Star-favored audience; hell, he gains just a slight bit more heat as he looks down at the pink kendo stick that has finally fallen out of Star's hands, and gives it enough of a tap of the foot to roll it out of the ring, thus robbing Butterfly of the sole object that managed to give her quite an advantage, even if it was a short-lived affair for her after all.

Grabbing her again, this time in a position that looks somewhat like the precursor to a lift into a powerbomb position, Brock makes it seem as if he _was_ going for another powerbomb...

...only to instead fling Star across the ring again, making her smack her face on the freshly replaced ring mat off a very reckless 'Alley-Oop' facebuster!

"And again!" Tazz shouts.

Joey shakes his head, very much worried for Star's safety after that big alley-oop across. "Jesus Christ... her second ever match and, to put it metaphorically, she's getting eaten alive!"

Tazz again speaks up, "Ah man, let's hope it doesn't get literal in that case."

Back to the ring, where Brock stands over Star, again putting his arms around the body of the youthful...

...tossing her again, this time with a German suplex~! Back to old tricks as usual for the Beast – no matter the opponent, whether it be John Cena, Undertaker or even Kofi Kingston, Lesnar manages to turn everything in his favor with just a couple suplexes.

With that, Star Butterfly finds herself with her face lying on the canvas once again, her devil-horn headband nearly about to fall off her head, back to the corner from which she started this bout. She entered this second-round match looking like a potential threat against Brock with her track record against the monstrous supernatural, but now the term 'threat' is being used as loosely as possible against the human _behemoth_ standing among the people.

Jim Ross laments, "My, how the Princess has fallen after such a valiant effort in her first match leading up to this..."

Roaring with intensity at the crowd, Lesnar might be calling for the end _very_ soon, as the F5 might not be too far off from being the next move. He flexes his shoulders aggressively as he stares across from the center of the ring to the bottom left corner where his opponent lies.

He steps forward, looking to continue to bring the pain, before grabbing onto the long blonde hair of Star...

...but then...

 _ **THWOOOSH!**_

An abrupt flash of a bright light, tinted a very brief pink, flashes between the Beast and the Princess, and all of a sudden, Brock is disoriented and off-guard, as he puts a hand to his eyes and backs away, much to the confusion that has sparked within a good chunk of the crowd. That was almost like the flash of an old school camera taking a picture, except maybe even brighter.

"What the... the hell just happened?" Joey speaks for the viewers, puzzled as all hell alongside JR and Tazz at the commentary booth.

Unfortunately for Brock, he soon figures out just what was the source of that bright flare of a light...

...as Star, _with her wand in hand_ , charges into him and whacks him with the spherical end of the wand, giving him **one mean low blow**!

"And a strike below the belt – Star's got the wand!" JR shouts, in tune with the epic uproar of cheers from the crowd.

Realizing what sort of spontaneous maneuver just pulled out, Tazz snarks out at Brock for not seeing it coming, "Oh, well, there's the problem, Brock; you didn't think hard enough to clean up the rest of what that girl brought!"

Yeah, somehow Brock was not aware that Butterfly still had her wand sitting by in the corner, having dropped it in favor of that ridiculously pink cane and pretty much left it alone.

Holding his nethers, in focus of his recovery more than anything else, he bows down, having lost his guard as ducked down underneath...

Joey inquires, "What's the princess going for now?"

Star grabs the thick calves of Brock, almost looking hidden due to her smaller size with Lesnar keeled over, and begins to lift him up – she seems to be going for the move that helped her score her first-round victory earlier in the night, the move coined as the 'Dudebuster' in the independent circuit, and the crowd is just holding their breath, their excitement as they watch the relatively tiny-in-comparison girl lift this big nearly-300 pound behemoth.

Joey lets out his signature phrase, very much in awe, "OH MY GOD..."

Tazz shouts, "H-how the hell...!?"

JR additionally asks, just as much in shock with Star's absolutely inhuman power lift. "The strength – how is she managing this much on her shoulders?!"

"I think this may be the finishing touch, looking to try and end it now just to stop her suffering!" Joey coins on top of the rest of the commentary.

Styles seems about right – as long as Star manages to successfully drop Brock on his head with what is best to be considered her new finisher, she could get an advantage, maybe even get a shock win on Heyman's big buff Brockster...

…until her knees buckle and Lesnar successfully weighs her down enough to make her splatter face first on the mat. All of a sudden, the optimism within the fans to watch their newfound underdog somehow topple the Beast is sucked straight out of the Staples Center.

Having landed very safely ( _even if he had Butterfly almost completely break his fall_ ), Lesnar just looks over to one side to see the utterly-squished princess, and he laughs with a hint of sadism, as he would with all his cockiness.

Turning over onto her back, Lesnar slowly gets back up... and then he lays a sole foot on the supine starlet.

...Hebner hesitantly goes in for the count...

 **1!**

 **2!**

 **3!**

"Well... so much for an underdog..." Tazz laments the losing effort of Star, as the bell rings to officially call the end of the bout.

 _("Next Big Thing" - Jim Johnston)_

" **The winner of this match... Brock Lesnar!** "

"We, uh, we might need to have the medics look over … she's not really looking too good after that... whatever that was at the end of the match," Tazz insists towards Star, as the ref raises Brock's arm, to the ballyhoo of boos backdropped behind him.

"Even then, Star Butterfly still managed quite an effort, enough to give her some sort of 'underdog' edge in the first half of the match," says Styles. "The other half? Well... it didn't really go how she wanted it, and now she's out of the Tournament of Fate."

JR speaks on the updated outlook of the tournament following this match, "As for Brock, he joins Daniel Bryan heading into the third and penultimate round of this destructive tournament; the two stand at different sides of the bracket, leaving a potential match between the two out of the books until the finals – that is, if they both manage to get past their respective opponents, who we will figure out in our next two matches. Here's to hoping things will only get better, Joey."

"Oh yeah, hope is a lot we can do, especially for poor Star over there..." Joey sneaks a slight mention back to Star, who has just been rolled out of the ring and is getting help in her recovery thanks to the medical personnel at standby.

Brock looks to be satisfied with his work on the Mewni-born girl, as he lets her be, and exits the ring, looking to prepare for the next battle ahead, but not before turning back to look at the damage he's done to his much smaller opponent – compared to Stone Cold in the first round, this was pretty much a win handed to him on a silver platter, as a result of how Heyman set up the brackets for the tournament. Whether it was going to be Star or Sherry to get a win in their match, a loss to Lesnar was pretty much a foregone conclusion.

However, with his back turned away from the ramp, Brock ends up missing what's coming after him, as he suddenly feels himself getting ran into from behind by a newcoming force.

Tazz exclaims, "Whoa!"

Lesnar gets knocked a little bit closer to the ring, as whatever ran into him manages to budge him. As he turns around...

...he sees the babe with outlandishly-colorful hair, Sunset Shimmer, standing at the end of the ramp, in the middle of taking her jacket off to better expose her recently-received UWU shirt, and she looks ready for a fight.

Joey is perplexed by Sunset's idea of jumping the gun. "Wait, Sunset? What the hell is she doing?!"

Tazz replies to Joey, "Looks like she might be trying to defend Star!"

And Styles snaps back, "She's supposed to be in the next match!"

"Well, if she's lookin' to kick Brock's ass for kickin' Star's, she might not be ready for the next match!" Tazz responds, as Brock tells Shimmer to bring it on.

The free-spirited rebel responds by throwing her bundled-up jacket at Brock's brick-wall chest, then running at him and leaping up at his face...

…only to land right in his arms, as he takes her and gives her an around-the-town belly-to-belly for her troubles, throwing her right onto the ring apron.

"Ohh! Don't know if she deserved that...!" says Tazz.

"She might as well deserve it for trying to battle against the Beast before she competes in her second-round match-up," JR retorts. "Even then, she's only as experienced in the squared circle as Star Butterfly, both of which have been heading into their second match ever as a result of joining, competing and succeeding in this Tournament of Fate so far, defeating New Jack and Sherry Birkin respectively."

"And now Brock's gotten a piece of both of them." Tazz adds, as Brock begins to walk backwards up the ramp, staring back as Sunset while she rolls into the ring, a bit bumped and bruised off that suplex onto the ring apron. "Kind of a stupid idea to try to mess with Brock, but hey, that's on her."

She does manage to get up with little trouble, and it seems that she wants more, as she wants Brock in the ring with her, despite it not being the match she's scheduled for. However, he doesn't seem to want any of her, continuing to go up the ramp and deny her the satisfaction of getting what she wants, even if it's to defend her new friend Star.

"On the other hand, Brock would probably rather head out of the way and see how things pan out for her..." JR details the mindset of the top Heyman Guy during this situation in between two of the second round fights set up for the tournament.

As Brock stands at the top of the ramp, the theme of Sunset's opponent hits.

 _("Fight" - CFO$)_

Kevin Owens emerges from the back, stomping past Lesnar as he makes his way down the aisle with the Intercontinental Championship casually held within the grasp of his right hand. He's about ready to defend his fellow Heyman Guy. Justin Roberts goes ahead to announce Owens to the ring, despite the rush from the aftermath of one match to the beginning of another with little time to prepare.

" **The following is the next second-round match in the Tournament of Fate! Introducing first, from Marieville, Quebec, Canada, weighing in at 266 pounds... Kevin Owens!** "

"Well, we weren't expecting to head into the next match so quickly, but with Sunset's attitude helping her out here to try and defend her fellow friend, we're going to get underway real soon..." JR says, as Roberts announces for the other corner in this match.

" **And his opponent, currently in the ring, from Canterlot City, Sunset Shimmer!** "

Joey adds on to what Jim Ross said before him, "And despite the altercation with Brock that got her a suplex for her troubles, she's still ready to get down to business – a very violent business to say the least, but as long as she adapts to the situation, something Balor didn't do enough of and ended up losing to Owens as a result, then Sunset could perhaps get the better of KO, just like she did with New Jack in the opening round."

The badly hurt Star Butterfly can be seen finally getting helped up the ramp as Kevin Owens enters the ring, and Brock Lesnar has finally disappeared into the back, just as Sunset runs into Owens with a knee to the gut, right as he gets through the ropes.

"Here we go, we aren't going to wait much longer!" Joey Styles proclaims.

Sunset tries to lay as much boot as possible to Owens, but he manages to catch her leg, bending it up and near his right shoulder, as he grapples her...

...and sends her crashing back to the canvas with a leg-captured exploder suplex!

"Right on the back again for Sunset, with another kind of suplex put into place, to start us off!" Joey says as Sunset rolls over into the top right corner of the ring.

It's at this point that Earl Hebner has to keep a heated Kevin away from Sunset, forcing him to the other side of the ring.

Who will come out on top as this match is almost about to start? We'll find out soon...


	35. R2: Kevin Owens vs Sunset Shimmer

**Tournament of Fate, Round 2  
Kevin Owens vs. Sunset Shimmer**

* * *

" _Ring the bell!_ " _**DING-DING!**_

Owens _immediately_ runs into Sunset at full speed, crushing her in the corner with a big corner splash in a way akin to his NXT debut match against the eco-jobber CJ Parker, and has her collapsing down to the bottom turnbuckle, arms draped over opposing ropes at her sides.

"Oof! There we go!" Tazz exclaims. "Time to get this match goin'!"

"Well, we're off to a fast start!" Joey proclaims following the one-and-done corner smash.

Owens dashes back and, with little speed lost, goes in for the clothesline...

...only to hit nothing and smack his back into the turnbuckles, as Sunset gets the fuck outta dodge, rolling over the bottom rope and flopping to the floor to escape.

"Sunset evades!" says Styles.

"And that's what usually happens when you start _too_ fast!" Tazz retorts on the previously-stated 'fast start'.

Owens rolls out of the turnbuckle off the failed cannonball, and stands up to glare daggers down at Sunset on the outside, as she stands at the apron, a bit slumped over as she grips onto the bottom rope, catching her breath for a moment after a wind-knocking start.

However, KO simply doesn't have the time to see to the match continuing in the ring, as he slides out and charges after her, enacting a brief chase sequence as runs around the ring, attempting to keep her distance with the Canadian prizefighter.

This momentary chase ends just as quickly as it starts, wrapping around from one side of the ring to its very opposite, where Kevin's devotion to pursuing the smaller opponent is halted...

...Halted very suddenly, in fact, by the shopping cart that was still hanging around at ringside since Sunset brought it in during the first round, still left to be used whenever, even after it was completely ignored in the Brock Lesnar vs. Star Butterfly fight just a few moments ago; had taken position behind it and has just stopped Owens by throwing it in between the two competitors

"He really needs to watch his surroundings!" JR considers the situation.

Running up to the apron, managing to leap up with enough height to grab the middle rope and help herself up, Sunset runs across, past the cart, and jumps at Owens...

...managing to catch him in the face with a running dropkick, forcing him back-first right into the barricade!

"And he also needs to watch where Shimmer's feet go!" Joey notes.

As Sunset takes a moment to get up, not getting the best cushioning off that dropkick and as a result, landing on the hard mat below, a somewhat obnoxious fan in the front row with a sign that says "Look, I'm on Twitch!" with the streaming site's logo noticeable on it waves said sign around at the camera, right in front of Kevin's face.

The Canadian wrestler's natural reaction is the swipe it out of that fan's hands, yelling at the poor guy for getting in his way.

Meanwhile, Sunset has just got up, and looks a bit displeased with Kevin's attitude, especially after he throws the sign at her just to solidify his jackassery, to barely any effect.

"You wanna defend _this_ guy?!" Owens asked, annoyed that the front-row fan has managed to get someone to stand up for him against the Intercontinental Champion. Good thing one of the ringside cameras were close enough to capture his voice enough to be heard clearly.

"Y'know, I was an asshole like you," Sunset begins to respond, approaching him at a closer level. "There's a reason I stopped."

Handing off a brave slap to the wrestler, Sunset immediately gets a response in the form of a strong shove from Owens, causing her to bump into the weapon-loaded cart.

Owens runs in for some sort of tackle or whatever...

...only for Sunset to dodge him, and cause him to run right into the shopping cart! In turn, this results in him literally going through the cart, with the hatch on the front flipping up and causing him to ram himself face first into the various objects carried within the cart.

"And right through the shopping cart he goes!" Jim Ross proclaims, as the crowd cheers.

Joey adds, "Just shows that you probably shouldn't mess with Sunset Shimmer in the long run; if New Jack couldn't handle her, who can?"

"I dunno, Kevin's been through worse, and Sunset hasn't been through enough in her match and a half so far..." says Tazz.

"That was a rhetorical, Tazz, but who knows; the match is far from over..." Joey responds.

Meanwhile, back to ringside, where Sunset picks up the sign swiped from the front row, and hands it off to the dude that held it. Amusingly, the fan also wore a shirt emblazoned with the logo of the UWU brand, identical to the shirt she wore.

After that brief moment in which she and the fan compliment each other's shirts, Shimmer slides into the ring to soak in the positive atmosphere her carriage of momentum has brought in for the time being, even climbing up to the middle rope in one of the corners to elevate herself a little higher up for the fans to see and snap some choice pictures.

What she doesn't see is Kevin slowly emerging from within the front opening of the cart, holding something that seems to be well hidden within his hand, as he walks towards the apron and rolls in under the bottom rope.

As Sunset turns around towards where Owens has entered the ring...

...he bops her _right_ square in the skull with whatever the weapon he brought in, knocking her right down, flat on her back on the ring mat.

With the crowd turned to boos towards Owens getting the one-up over Sunset for this moment, he opens his weapon-carrying hand, unveiling in clear view _an open black stapler_...

...and at the same time, the audience begins to recognize the damage done to Sunset's head, as when she begins to pick herself up, a nearby camera operator is in clear view of her head, showing a small but very noticeable line of gray metal, being the staple embedded in the center of her skull – it is this camera angle that ends up projected not only on the live broadcast overseas but also the titantron on the stage, allowing a bit of disgust to go around the crowd.

"Oh my god, just... take a look at that..." Jim Ross, mildly uncomfortable with the staple in the red-and-yellow-haired babe.

"That's the price you pay with this sort of match, even more when you suffer at the hands of something _you_ brought!" Joey states.

"Looks like Kevin Owens might be _able_ to handle this chick..." Tazz stands corrected on behalf of Joey for that statement from a moment ago.

The pain has struck down on Sunset's head like a boot to the head... and then Kevin kicks her back down with a boot to the head. Naturally.

After stopping her from getting up, Owens bounces off the ropes behind him, and jumps onto Sunset with a big running senton, putting his weight down on her with no intention of letting her brace for the impact.

"And that's just to add some more insult to injury!" Tazz proclaims. "Or just injury on _top_ of more injury; whatever's worse..."

Sunset holds her stomach in pain, rolling to her side for a brief moment before Owens shoves her back over, keeping her flat on her back as he guns for a pin.

 **1! 2-!** **Kick out!**

Tazz notes, "She's still got a lot of willpower in her to kick out of that..."

"She's got the heart to withstand some damage," Joey Styles mentions. "However, I don't know how much damage that one little staple in her head could do."

Jim Ross adds, "It all really depends on if she's dealt with sharp pain, from things like staples, getting embedded in her head before. Highly doubt it..."

In the ring, as commentary rolls on, the action seems to have slowed down, as Owens has Sunset wrapped around an arm in a headlock, bringing the match to a crawl and being a major asshole about it.

That 'major asshole' carries over to the Prizefighter's bragging, greedy proclamations, as he shouts in Sunset's face, "You think you get anything worth _shit_ here?! How much do you think I get _paid_ for this? I make a shit-ton; you oughta get nothin'!"

Joey says, "Kevin Owens, continuing the attitude that has gotten him as far as he's managed so far in the WWE!"

Interestingly eager, Tazz asks, "Eh, he does bring up a fair point; we know Kevin's gotta be getting paid for this tournament, what about people like Sunset?"

"You really think _now's_ a good time to discuss that?" JR asks the Brooklyn-born commentator, feeling he's starting to miss the main point of the situation in the ring.

A minute passes before Sunset begins to manage some built-up power to help herself up to her feet while Kevin's arms continue to keep themselves around her neck. A thin string of dark red drips from where the lone staple is smashed into on her forehead, as she begins to elbow Owens in the gut to progress further through attempting to break the headlock.

Unfortunately, the gut bumps don't seem to build much to her freedom out of being wrapped in Kevin's grasp; however, the backup plan she has seems to be far from ingenious but effective, as she drops down to her knees...

...and wallops Owens right between the legs with a low blow!

"Oh! Right in the nuts!" Joey proclaims.

KO drops Sunset real quick as the usually-illegal blow does a number on him, forcing him away from the headlock as he holds himself below the belt, hoping to quickly recover.

Doesn't do a lot of help for him, as while he's bent over, Sunset runs at him from near the side, almost behind him as she jumps up, and catches him in the left temple with a single-leg dropkick!

"Firin' off like a goddamn rocket with that kick!" Tazz utters in excitement, as Owens slowly plops down on the canvas, just barely clinging onto the bottom rope.

Sliding back out to ringside, Sunset returns to her cart of plunder, taking a hold of a steel chair, one of several that were still yet to be used leading up to this bout.

As Owens finds himself hung up on the bottom rope, looking to find his right of way, Sunset runs with the black metal chair in her hands, jumps up with enough height and angling...

...and dropkicks it right into his face!

"Striking with a steel chair dropkick, intended for nothing but _pain_!" Joey announces.

Owens flips around from the resulting recoil of that face-smacking impact, keeping himself lying down on the bottom rope, staggered by another in a series of clock-cleaning kicks, as Sunset climbs up to the apron and then up to the top rope across from the right of where Kevin lies.

The audience looks up and stares in attention of the rebellious beaut on the top turnbuckle, raising her arms up as if to gather the positive energy of everyone watching.

"Sunset is leading the world right now, leading a new breed of rebels in this, the beginning of what Heyman considers a new era of his own!" Styles' extensive proclamation sounds off as Shimmer leaps off...

...and manages to nail Owens right in the chest with a crushing elbow drop!

"She connects with the elbow!" JR shouts.

"The high risk has been taken!" exclaims Joey. "The question now is, was the risk worth it?"

Dragging Kevin's heavy body out from the bottom left corner of the ring, Shimmer, her hair a bit of a mess from the wind off her dive, drapes herself over him for the cover.

 **1! 2! No!**

"Kick-out!" says Joey, a tad surprised.

"I guess that risk wasn't enough to power her into the next round of this tournament!" JR understands.

Sunset takes her time getting off Owens and crawling away to keep her distance and rethink things, as she moves on from his shoulder-up to other things for now – for instance, that pesky staple in her head.

Putting a couple fingers on her head, pinching on the tiny metal bane to her healthiness, it takes quite a bit of force for her to yank it out from her head. Sure, it definitely helps you out with getting rid of the consistent dull pain that lasts until the extraction, following the initial sting, but the slight string of blood that has occasionally oozed out of her from the wound seems to slightly thicken, trickling down the side of her head, just past her cheek, as she continues to lay on her right side.

Tazz nods. "Good eye, Sunset; better to get it out right now than to leave it in for any longer."

She stares down at the canvas, her intention to let some drips of red plop down on the mat below – it's not like they won't get a clean mat if it gets too soaked; look at how the Orchid v. Ambrose match ended up!

The blood won't really bother her much in the later parts of this match, but she might as well get to the nearest medic backstage when she's done, but, as she sits on both knees, she brings her head back up from staring down-

 _ **SMACK!**_

And then she suddenly feels herself getting struck in the side of the head by the sole end of a boot, as Owens, somehow up before Sunset could get to her knees, lands a superkick that manages a direct hit!

"Whoa! Superkick!" Tazz yelps.

"Kevin's up and at 'em, and Sunset suffers for it!" JR utters.

Sunset spirals back down into a mostly laid-out position, sitting at the lower turnbuckle at the bottom right corner, as Owens leaves the ring, ending up right near where Sunset's cart of weaponry sits. He picks up the steel chair that was used for his face by his opponent just moments ago, and immediately heads back in...

"Owens must be thinking... well, creatively, for ideas to do with that chair..." says JR.

Stepping back to get some distance across the ring, KO wraps an arm around to hold the chair behind his back, and starts running...

...front-flipping towards Sunset, and slamming back-first into her with a chair-assisted cannonball!

Joey says, "Cannonball with the steel chair! That's probably almost as painful as a legitimate cannonball!"

"'Creatively' is the right word to describe that!" Tazz comments.

Joey interjects, "I'm not too keen on agreeing, but I might as well..."

Sunset is still hung up at the bottom of the corner, relatively less conscious than before due to the chair elevating the damage from Kevin rolling his body into her face. Due to this, he has to grab her and drag her out of the corner.

Placing her in a front-necklock position while drapping her left arm around his head, Owens lifts her up for a vertical suplex... and then lets go while shoving her by her chest down to the canvas!

"Now he's just... tossing her around and about, like a sandbag," says JR.

While Sunset is set in place on the slightly dirty canvas, Owens runs the ropes, and keeps her grounded by jumping on her and slamming himself back-first onto her comparatively small body with another big senton!

"Second senton of the match – he's just makin' her suffer at this point!" Tazz says.

"Not to mention he hasn't gone for a pin for quite some time..." Joey additionally notes.

Quickly getting back up, Owens runs the ropes again as Sunset begins to roll over, holding her belly in agony.

"And here we go again...!" Joey states...

KO jumps and falls back again...

...this time, the senton hits with Sunset face-down, spine-to-spine contact as he continues to demolish her!

"And again!" Tazz proclaims, still attempting to sound optimistic even when he doesn't fully like what he sees in the ring. "Think that one hurt worse than the last!"

Whatever sort of momentum Sunset had before getting utterly shut down seems to be falling from her grasp. She is faltering in this match with the sentons crashing down on her from a man more than twice her size.

And even then, despite doing enough damage to warrant a pinfall attempt just to see if the free-spirited babe of red and yellow has had enough, Kevin doesn't seem to take up on the offer – mercy is something he does _not_ want to show, especially not in a tournament known as the _Tournament of Fate_.

As he kicks her while she's down, and exits the ring, he wants to be sure that the fate of Sunset is guaranteed to be a loss in this match and an ejection from this tournament as a result.

"What's Owens looking for here?" JR wonders, as Owens throws upwards the cloth hanging down from the apron.

Looking under the apron, it takes a moment before the fans discover what he has found, as he slowly ejects a wooden table from underneath the ring.

"It looks like he's going back to strats he planned on doing in his previous match..." Joey assumes.

"Well, last time he tried using a table, he ended up putting himself through it," Tazz recalls. "Usually, that sort of stuff would come back to haunt him, but it doesn't look like it."

Kevin sets up the table to stand on both legs, with it standing somewhat vertical towards the apron, one long end towards it and the other end just barely touching the barricade.

After getting the table ready for putting someone through, Kevin turns around and looks at the shopping cart that still sits, still filled to the brim of objects that could harm.

"The compilation of objects turned into brutal weapons in that shopping cart can prove to be a gateway to creative ideas in this tournament," JR details. "Lord knows what Kevin's going to put together."

In the ring, Sunset is busy making some sort of recovery, clinging onto the ropes for elevation as she struggles to get back on her feet. Owens does not seem to notice, as he scrapes through the miscellaneous objects in the cart, from 2x4s to more chairs ( _one of which is just a weird little stool with wheels and such_ ).

Sunset sees the table set up just near where Kevin is, and looks a bit intrigued with the situation before her.

"Well, Sunset's back up, but... now what?" Joey asks.

Forward thinking isn't an essential skill for a match like this, and for Sunset Shimmer, she needs to think quickly to find a way to stop Kevin Owens' planning-ahead dead in its tracks.

And so she does, as she jumps over the top rope...

...and _smashes the table with a big double stomp._

"Whoa! The hell?" Joey shouts, perplexed by Sunset's interesting game-plan.

"Oh! Well... alright! That works!" Tazz proclaims right as Sunset personally breaks the table under her feet. "Might as well satisfy the demographic in Dudleyville – you know they love their tables!"

Hearing the sound of crushed wood behind him, Kevin springs around and sees Sunset sitting in the rubble of the now-smashed table. Some scattered laughter is heard around the arena as the big Canadian looks none too pleased.

Looking up to Owens with a casual smile, Shimmer taunts him with an equally-casual flip of the double-bird, throwing up both middle fingers for a brief second, before running away. Owens naturally begins to chase after her, engaging in another chase akin to one of the first sequences of this bout.

"Oh boy! Cue the Benny Hill!" Tazz quips as the firey red/yellow-head starts making a lap around the ring.

However, after Sunset sprints over the stairs at the top right corner of the ring, Kevin halts himself, getting a bit of an idea while his opponent continues to run around.

Turning around, he prepares to catch the sneaky snake of a gal, and as Sunset makes a full lap around, just passing by her shopping cart of pillaged hardcore goodies, she's but a second too late to notice Kevin just about to catch her, almost running full-speed into him...

...only to be tossed up and then caught with her legs on his shoulder...!

"Uh-oh!" Joey alerts.

JR announces, "The pop-up!"

"Oh shit! She's in trouble!" Tazz realizes.

Running in the direction of the shopping cart with much force being built up, Owens holds Sunset in the powerbombing position...

...and then throws her into the cart, smashing her against her own inventory of painful loot!

"Powerbomb into the cart!" Joey shouts. "And that is _far_ from a soft landing for her!"

"A lot of uneven surfaces in that thing," Tazz mentions. "Probably would be a bad idea to gun for a pin on that."

Supporting Tazz's belief, Kevin Owens doesn't seem to be looking for a pin; instead, after a moment of thought to himself, looking around at the crowd of which mildly disapproves him, he walks over to the back end of the cart...

…he grabs the handle... and he starts to wheel the cart around the ringside area, with Sunset still lying, still relatively conscious enough to feel herself being carried around.

Joey Styles begins to realize that, with Owens bringing the cart around and up the ramp, something bad might begin to go down "Oh no – this doesn't look good for Sunset..."

"She's gettin' carted away _into_ the sunset, it looks like," Tazz attempts to quip about with odd wordplay, as Owens brings her, along with the cart, up to the top of the ramp.

"Kevin's bringing this up to the stage; ladies, gentlemen, anyone watching, this may not end well, but I assure you, this is the price one can pay if they don't think fast enough to escape out of this..." Jim Ross extensively assures the viewers watching.

Shimmer has barely budged within the cart as it has been brought up to one side of the stage. Kevin Owens looks down past where the elevated flooring ends, seeing what looks like a nine, maybe ten-foot fall ahead.

Good enough for him.

He grabs the cart by its sides, beginning to lift it off the ground with a light bit of struggle occurring as he shows some of what his strength can do...!

" _Ohshit -_ uhhhh... Kevin?" Tazz sputters a bit, a bit like 'what-the-fuck-is-he-doing?' as Kevin puts his upper-body strength to the test here.

"He's lifting her up and... and I think he might throw her off!" Joey alerts. "This is—this is _definitely_ far from the standards that wrestling put together, and even farther as a fan-satisfier if you want to deal with your opponent!"

"To him, it certainly looks like it'll satisfy him," Tazz replies, "but... I don't know if Kevin's gonna be able to get a clean toss with all that shit in there!"

 **He did.**

With a strong roar, Kevin tosses the cart off the stage, getting a bit of distance going as it heads off the stage with just Sunset barely separating from it, flailing about in the air for a brief moment...

...before she lands hard on the cold flooring, with the cart, and everything in it, following suit, landing on her _especially_ and almost burying her in her own painful trash heap!

The crowd groans from the absolute crash-and-burn of Shimmer and her now-trashed shopping cart, but at the same time, while there was much venomous hatred towards Owens, those who were more welcoming of the extreme couldn't help but cheer.

Ultimately, the thousands off their seats on on their feet engaged in a split chant-off, with the moderately-satisfied chanting 'HO-LY SHIT!', while those who just wanted to focus on Owens on that moment alone shouted 'YOU SICK FUCK!'

"The fans are going insane, in more ways than one!" Joey addresses the audience, as Owens climbs down the stage onto the floor, passing by a somewhat worried Earl Hebner, who has been looking over Sunset in the past half-minute since that brutal crash.

Shoving Hebner off of Sunset and piling himself over her instead, he shouts at Earl to " _Count it!_ "

The referee reluctantly complied.

 **1!**

 **2!**

 **3!**

The bell rings as Owens immediately gets off of Sunset, bumping past Hebner as he climbs back up to the stage, to the beat of his theme.

 _("Fight" - CFO$)_

" **The winner of this match... Kevin Owens!** "

Owens brings his arms up, shouting " _What's why I'm the champ!_ " as the commentators went at their own pace.

"Jeez... just when you thought Zack Ryder in a wheelchair was the most unworthy of getting chucked off that stage..." Tazz references a previous incident to further the point of this insane ending to a quite intense competition.

"Kevin Owens advances to the next round and... well, for the second match in a row, we might be looking at someone having gotten really hurt thanks to the winner." Joey details the outcome.

As a replay came across the top screen on the stage of the far-from-graceful landing Sunset just took, getting chucked off the stage along with her cart, Sunset was being attended to by the medical staff. Owens looks to be heading backstage, after being handed his Intercontinental Championship belt along the way, as the commentators went on.

"Sunset Shimmer may be looking to join her friend Star Butterfly backstage among the medical facilities, but on the other hand, Kevin will meet several others in the semi-finals of the Tournament of Fate," JR mentions, "and I just got confirmation that Owens will meet Daniel Bryan in the third and penultimate round of the Tournament of Fate – Brock Lesnar's opponent, on the other hand, will be determined in the next match, the last of the these four second-round matchups, and the final match of Day 1, in what has been proven as quite the showcase of violent combat!"

Joey continues off of JR's words, "I'm sure Paul Heyman must be satisfied with the second round so far, given his track record for extreme moments, but will it all amp up any further as we reach the end of the first day of the Tournament of Fate? We'll find out soon!"

The last image before a fade to the UWU logo for a break between matches, is a somewhat far-away shot of a slightly bloodied Sunset Shimmer being helped up by Earl Hebner and the unnamed medics...


	36. PRE-MATCH: I Have A Secret

Watching on one of the many oddly-placed TV sets scattered across the backstage area, Dean Ambrose shakes his head, mildy unamused; sure, the match that has just finished up was as expected, a bit of a car-crash competition ( _ending up that way in more ways than expected_ ), but in the end, the wrong person won, in his opinion.

Poor Sunset. Didn't deserve _that_ much damage done to her, but it was a bit more that she took than what he was expecting her.

And how it ended... _OOF_... yeah, she would benefit from a trip to the doctor's office.

Speaking of those who needed medical help after their match...

Dean opens the door to one of the various locker rooms, being greeted almost immediately with the sight of a still-recovering Star Butterfly, having just gotten touched up by the doctor that tended with her bumps and bruises, and now she's laid her head in the lap of fellow competitor; the blonde agent, Sherry Birkin, someone she's gotten along well with, especially after meeting in the ring for their first-round bout, to a winning effort for the Mewman Princess.

It was nice – quite cute, even – to see how they've earned each other's respect after doing battle a few hours back, and now they look to have gotten quite acquainted to each other despite the difference in personality. Sure, she's far from the first person to have come out of their match beaten all to hell, but it's somewhat elevated when she's as young as she is.

"'Sup kid," Dean greets the magical princess. "Feelin' any better?"

"Well, my ears finally stopped ringing," she replies, attempting a big smile. "That's a start..." Her tone was more relaxed than her usual, placated as a result of her having to relax and recover from the brutal beatdown she was unfortunately at the hands of.

The stubble-faced guy chuckles silently, leaning against the lockers. "Yeah... don't try to move around too much; let everything heal up. This business ain't easy, kid."

He looks up to the older of the two blondes. "Same goes for you, 'agent'."

Agent Birkin replied, "Don't need to tell me twice; think I've seen enough here now to see how fucked up things can get."

Ambrose sniffs a little. "Just be glad you got off easy. Sunset out there got thrown away _along_ with the trash."

"I don't see why she keeps on fighting, after all that – she's not even close to being a professional here."

"Hey, neither are you." Ambrose then gestures towards the thankfully-healing Star laying in 's lap. "Or _her_..."

"I've been through a _lot_ in all this time I've been in my workforce," Sherry justifies her sort of professionalism in her craft. "I've fought psychopaths… _monsters_..."

" _I fight monsters too..._ " Star moans out a response, slurring from her somewhat sore jaw.

Sherry looks down at the princess, uncertain of whether she was genuinely speaking on her own experience, or if Lesnar battered a few screws loose – at least, a few _more_. "I... I didn't come here _just_ to keep people safe – I mean, it's a personal bonus on my end to serve and protect, but..."

"But what?" Dean wriggles his eyebrows up a little, his interest in the blonde agent's business beginning to peak.

Looking back down at Princess Butterfly, Birkin looks a little bit unsure of how to put to words her main mission to the loose cannon from Ohio with this youthful girl in the way. Calmly carrying the dazed but comfortable Star up and letting her lay down on a nearby bench, she stands up and meets Dean at complete eye contact.

She asks him, "You mind if we keep this between us? In private?"

* * *

Dean closes the door behind him.

"You have these conversations in a _bathroom stall_ , Dean?"

"You said ' _in private_ '. I mean, you oughta be careful what you wish for with me here."

"Yeah, I guess I should..." Sherry shakes off the very eccentric logic on Dean's part; it's definitely not the most logical place for private talks like this, especially since there isn't much elbow room, especially with _two_ people in a space meant for just one.

Dean smiles back, leaning against the wall behind him with his arms crossed. "Alright, I'm all ears... now I really wanna know what the hell you're on about."

Slightly hesitant to share otherwise classified information to someone who probably doesn't know shit about national security, Sherry begins to roll along with her elaboration. "Okay... well... it started last week... I was on a brief vacation around the UK, taking a bit of a break from the abnormal, during a surprisingly calm point in time. It was a bit of a slow week. It was then I realized it was the 'calm before the storm' before most people did, when I got the call to head back to the US – to head over to California."

Dean kept quiet, a fairly rare feat for him, as he listened on to what felt like something of interest to him, especially now that he wants to understand Agent Birkin's intentions.

She continues. "When I arrived, I got some intel on a competitive ring within a mysterious temple with rumors of _supernatural_ phenomena occurring that has happened underneath the noses of authority, and that the owner had vanished right when they started to notice."

Dean begins to realize what company she may be talking about... "Oh yeah. Pretty crazy place, isn't it?"

" _Very,_ " Sherry replies. "The state police enlisted officers Reyes and Ryan to go undercover at the Temple and try and snuff out the whereabouts of the owner, but nothing came back... and when a mysterious flyer came around about 'earning redemption' among other things, that's when they called us to further investigate... and here I am."

Dean scratches through his hair. "Yeesh. You must've been going through a lot of shit this past week. With the undercover bullshit, and the tournament, you've barely gotten anywhere, haven't you?"

"I have.. it's just that I haven't managed enough time to fully comprehend it all," she responds. "But at least I know one thing..."

"And that is?"

" _I found him –_ 'El Jefe'... _Dario Cueto_ \- he's working with Paul Heyman... He may have gotten away from the Temple and off the radar altogether, but with him and Heyman working together... things could really fall apart here if they manage their goal."

Ambrose perks up, a bit happy to know she's managed big-time progress in her mission. At least _someone's_ going out on a positive note tonight. "Oh, cool! Guess what we need to do now is rat him to the police, and mission accomplished, right?"

"It doesn't work like that!" Sherry goes very quickly against Ambrose's consideration. "Sure, we'd get our guy... but even then, it's too early to call on whether things will spiral out of control or not, even with some of these... _odd_ characters, to say the least. I think I need to keep myself from outing him out for the time being, for months, maybe years if I have to..."

Ambrose sighs through his nose, his smile somewhat fading. "Guess you're right."

The agent then extends a hand to put against Dean's chest. " _But_... just know... unless we _have_ to... we don't tell _anybody_. If word spreads too far, even to the fans... well, I don't know what the hell could happen... but I know it's gonna go straight to shit."

He responds... "I'm not always great with promises... but I'll try my best."

"Good."

All of a sudden, the door to the stall they were within opened, and they both looked towards the pitcher of light that shone back at them.

Fresh off her losing effort, with a thick bandage slapped across the staple-caused wound on her forehead, Sunset Shimmer looks a bit baffled to see a bathroom stall barely being put to use, as she leans on her arm on the wall of the stall.

"Alright... _what the fuck_." Shimmer can't really utter much in terms of a response to seeing Ambrose and Birkin together like this.

Dean preemptively retorts. "Before you ask – _no_ , we are _not_ secretly banging each other under the table."

"I wasn't gonna ask that." Sunset assures him, albeit a bit annoyed. "I was gonna ask why you guys were talking about shit in the bathroom – _the women's bathroom_ , to be exact."

Dean speaks up again, "If it makes you feel any better, it's not my first time being in this sort of bathroom. _Far from._ "

Sunset shakes her head. "It doesn't. Now step aside, 'Titty Master' – I gotta unload. _You too_ , what's-your-face."

The stall empties out, with Dean just plain bailing on the bathroom altogether, while Sherry just stands outside the stall as Sunset closes it behind her.

One thing hangs above the agent's head, for sure. "How much did you hear?" she asks.

"How much of what?" Sunset asks back, from the other side of the stall, as the sound of trickling liquid hitting more liquid made background noise. "The private bullshit you and Dean were spittin' around in here? Trust me, I didn't hear much, and besides, I don't wanna bother with whatever secrets you and him are holding."

Birkin sighs in relief. "Good. I don't think I would trust _you_ with any sort of secret information."

The flush of the toilet sounds off during Sunset's response. "Don't know if I should hold that as a compliment..." Then the stall door opens as she exits, adjusting her jeans. "...but I don't really want to get involved in your business anyway. I'm a carefree type of babe like that."

Giving Sherry a light smack on the ass as a bit of a positive gesture to get her to come along, Sunset tells her, "Now come on – there's one match left to watch in this fuckin' crazy tournament tonight."

They both head their way to carry on to see what's left for the second round of the Tournament of Fate...

* * *

Back to the arena. The dim lights brighten back up, allowing the crowd to tense up for one more showcase of the night.

* * *

 _("Touch Me And I'll Break Your Face" - Mick Gordon feat. Ali Edwards)_

* * *

The moderately familiar song seems to cut right to the chase, unlike the first time around, jumping right to the drop as some pyro blasts off on-stage.

" **The following contest is the final match in the Tournament of Fate's second round! Introducing first, from a classified location in East Europe, Black Orchid!** "

Amidst a wave of cheers, with a tad bit of boos having been drowned out as a result, the mercenary steps out on-stage for her second time of the night, the battle damage clear with the slightly bloodied bandages wrapped around her head to cover her cuts from her bout with the Lunatic Fringe, and the stains of blood faintly noticeable on her attire in spots. With her batons locked in place on her boots, the look on her face spells determination, but also says that she will put herself through quite the danger to put away her opponent, once again.

"We are on the home stretch of Day 1 of this two-night event! The Tournament of Fate will end this second round with quite an interesting bout, between two talents that are just getting started!" Joey Styles proclaims. "Orchid is ready to go through hell _again_ , as she enters another hardcore bout, and considering how much pain she had to go through against Dean Ambrose, this may be another big step for her to potentially become the first Tournament of Fate winner, and a very worthy competitor to become such at that!"

As Orchid jumps to the apron and enters the ring, Jim Ross speaks on commentary once Joey finishes. "Brock Lesnar, Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan – what all these three have in common are that they are heading into the semi-finals, and that, based on the formation of the brackets, at least two of them will likely have to deal with this aggressive individual tomorrow night!"

B. Orchid takes a corner of the ring, standing towards the stage, prepared for all comers, especially her opponent in this upcoming battle.

* * *

 _("Another Way To Die" - Disturbed)_

* * *

Fire. Nothing but fire bursting off on the stage, accompanied by some of David Draiman's vocals, as the _Mortal Kombat_ tournament veteran Scorpion makes his presence felt _again_.

" **And her opponent... from the outskirts of Japan, weighing in at 235 pounds... Scorpion!** "

"This ninja may not weigh a ton, but trust me, he's a strong motherfucker, I'll tell ya that!" Tazz quips with some colorful, profane language on his tongue. "Anyone who manages to tame the Big Dog in Roman Reigns in their first wrestlin' match is a guy I would love to see win."

"Well, both these competitors have managed to defeat members of a WWE force that was known as the Shield." Joey notes. "The impact they've both brought down on Heyman's new company filled to the brim with talent has really done a number!"

Scorpion goes through the ropes, staring right at Orchid, as JR speaks up again. "We are about to start off our final bout of Tournament of Fate, Day 1! Don't go anywhere!"

The fighters stand off at opposite corners, with Earl Hebner right in between them. This is going to be a burning hot contest!

* * *

 **Hey. It's been a while since you've seen me directly speaking to you. I figured I won't do this for _every_ chapter, regardless of whether it would be before or after the chapter.**

 **Get hyped, because Orchid vs. Scorpion is going to be the next chapter!**


	37. R2: Black Orchid vs Scorpion part 1

**Tournament of Fate, Round 2  
Black Orchid vs. Scorpion  
Part 1**

* * *

"Two fierce competitors that have solidified their place and gotten onto the level of many a strong contender in this modern era, about to do battle..."

Good Ol' JR's words fit perfectly for both Black Orchid and Scorpion, both battle-tested veterans in the unscripted, uncensored craft of violent hand-to-hand combat, as they have just gotten started in the squared-circle under the realm of professional wrestling, something that goes under a somewhat different set of rules.

Compared to some of the bewildering mismatches that the Tournament of Fate has delivered so far, with Star Butterfly vs. Brock Lesnar and Sunset Shimmer vs. Kevin Owens proving to be the most ridiculous examples thus far ( _primarily due to how the first-round matches were placed and who won_ ), this match looks to be one of the more well-paired looking battles put together thanks to Heyman's arrangement of the tournament brackets, farther away from the odder bouts and closer to more legitimate bouts like Lesnar vs. Stone Cold and Bryan vs. Nakamura.

Scorpion takes position in his usual fighting stance as Orchid leans against the turnbuckles in her chosen corner. They share the same mission tonight – to defeat their opponent and move on to whatever comes next for them, whether it be a shot at glory or just another way to leave an impact in general regardless of their future win/loss record.

Earl Hebner, calling the action as usual, stands in between them to keep a proper distance, and then calls for the bell.

 _ **DING-DING-DING!**_

Upon the ring of the bell, the match starts off... quite slowly, to say the least. B. Orchid keeps her place at the turnbuckles, waiting for her opponent to make the first move, while said opponent, the Shirai Ryu ninja in Scorpion, takes his time to approach the agent, readying a fist to throw in her face if she tries to narrow the distance between them.

Orchid permits the ninja to come and try, beckoning with the subtle movement of a steady hand...

...and so, Scorpion proceeds to run at her, preparing to slam her into the corner with an outstretched arm, only to miss by a margin, catching the ropes as Orchid rolls past him, taking a kneeling position in the center of the ring.

They have very suddenly swapped places, it looks like, as Scorpion is now in the corner and Orchid is one-thirds of the way away from him.

Turning around and almost immediately proceeding to run at her again, Scorpion extends a foot up as he slides at her to attempt a big boot to the face...

...only for the agent to roll back into the corner, sitting back to where she started, and in turn igniting a bit of frustration in the yellow-garbed ninja.

On the other hand, Orchid's split-second evasions are succeeding in keeping the attention of the audience, who seem to be more on the side of the Firecat, even if just barely more than her opponent.

"We are starting to look at... a bit of mind-games from the woman known only as Black Orchid," JR mentions, "with reflexes only _she_ can consistently carry."

Without even giving Scorpion an inch closer, Orchid continues to play, sliding underneath and past him, across the canvas. However, as she maneuvers under him, he manages to catch at least one of her feet before she can fully pass by.

Almost immediately realizing her momentary capture, Orchid hobbles up off the canvas, standing on her free leg as she composes her balance despite the ninja handling her other leg.

Twisting around, she sends a leg up towards Scorpion's head, gunning for an enzuigiri to knock him loose for the first strike of the match...

...but she misses, and she ends up making a full 360 spin to her starting position from right before the enzui kick attempt.

Scorpion promptly forces her upper body down by clobbering her with a hammering forearm smash down on her spine; Orchid almost _faceplants_ into the canvas as the last of the living Shirai Ryu grabs a hold of her other leg, bringing both her legs under his arms as he settles into a wheelbarrow position.

His hands on her sides, he lifts her up to transition into something, like a suplex ( _specifically, a deadlift German_ ), a neckbreaker ( _a la Eric Young_ ) or something else that one wouldn't think of first...

...but the rest of his planned maneuver is never really revealed, as Orchid frees herself from his grasp, backflipping over his head.

"Look at 'er go!" Tazz proclaims as the sequence picks up in pace.

Grapping him from behind, B. Orchid plans for a German suplex, and shows some of her great strength as she begins to lift him up.

However, mid-lift, Scorpion handles the ropes on both ends of the turnbuckle at the top left corner, stopping Orchid from dropping him on his head and neck. Forcing the momentum in his own way, he puts his weight down against hers as he forces her to roll forward with him, into a surprise victory roll pin.

Hebner dives in...

 **1!**

Not even close, as Orchid forces her legs down against his underarms, inverting the roll-up so that _she_ was pinning _him_ down.

 **1! 2—**

Just nearly getting to two that time around, as the vice-versa of Orchid's pinfall inversion occurs ( _somewhat_ ), as she gets forced down herself, her legs around Scorpion's neck as he grabs onto her back, his fingers hung around the back of her bustier as he lifts her off the canvas...

...only for her to send him across with a head-scissor whip, making him roll across the canvas, into the bottom right corner, as she tumbles back into her own corner.

And now they're right back where they started.

The crowd can't help but applaud, bubbling with excitement and anticipation towards what comes next. For the front-rowers, they start pounding on the barricade instead, pounding the proverbial drums of war for the competitors in the ring.

"Well... ladies and gentlemen, we are... certainly out of the pond of oddities for this bout," Jim Ross states.

"We are re-entering serious territory," Joey Styles adds. "This is gonna get more intense before it ends, for sure..."

It's safe to say that the two combat-tested warriors in the ring are already starting to impress each other; it's very noticeable on Orchid's end, as her somewhat deranged smile does show some bit of sincerity when it comes to the realization of how evenly matched she is against Scorpion.

On the other hand, it's harder to tell what the Japanese warrior is thinking himself, as the mask covers most of his expression, all except for his eyes, with his almost-inhumanly white pupils, blending in with the color of his pupils.

As Tazz puts it, "Tension so thick, you'd have to take a chainsaw to it to slice through it."

After a momentary yard-wide staredown that almost feels like it's stopped time, both competitors make a mad dash at each other...

...and Scorpion makes the first major strike, managing a clothesline that smashes Orchid in the face, causing her to flip backwards, with gravity intending to let her drop on her front.

Unfortunately for that gravity, the Firecat has other plans, as she _somehow_ stops herself mid-flip, planting her hands on the center point of the ring's canvas and leaving herself upside down.

"Whoa!" Tazz shouts upon the sight. "W-well then!"

Turning around in the top left corner, Scorpion watches as Orchid flips back over onto her feet. He runs at her with an arm extended for another clothesline...

...only for her to duck very precisely and avoid his strike this time around. Making a 180 with her back towards the ninja, who himself has turned around...

...Black Orchid does another backflip, and bops Scorpion front and center on the skull with a Pele kick!

"Pele kick!" JR announces. "And she leaves her opponent groggy from that!"

Scorpion stumbles into the ropes, some sense knocked out of him from that backflip foot to the head ( _but not enough to get him off his feet_ ), as Orchid gets back to her feet very quickly off a near-perfect landing and runs the opposite ropes.

She seems to be gunning for another square kick to the face to try and send the ninja flying up and over, and out of the ring...

...but Scorpion thinks otherwise, bringing his foot up to smash her in the face with a big boot of his own!

"Scorpion retaliates!" Joey proclaims as Orchid takes a stumble of her own.

The agent in green manages to avoid falling over on her own right, relying on the ropes to keep her on her toes, as her yellow-clad opponent steps away from the ropes, taking a running start as he attempts to strike her down...

...only for Orchid to battle back with a thrust kick to his face, again sending him barreling backwards!

"And again, an answer!" JR proclaims.

The crowd has reacted actively with each hit that struck hard, with the groans repeating, and everyone feeling the echoing smacks from the most physical argument between the two.

From ropes on one side to the other, Orchid and Scorpion cling onto them as they lock eyes again.

So far, the battle damage has been fairly minimal; the bandage across Orchid's forehead has kept steady, having barely loosened from that one boot to the noggin, although the cuts from her previous bout may still have the potential to open back up, and fade that bandage with a gradual amount of red.

On the other hand, Scorpion shows no noticeable scratches from the strikes on him. His body seems to be slightly more durable, especially after his triumph over Roman Reigns in the first round of this tournament. Not much else to say there.

After taking in the atmosphere that began oozing from the standoff, both of the combatants use the ropes to manage some speed as they start running at each other.

They pass by each other, bouncing off the opposite ropes from where they started their run...

...and then _clash_ with _brutally_ stiff elbows, simultaneously clobbering each other in the side of their heads.

"Oh! The collusion on those elbows!" JR utters.

"Almost hard enough to knock an eye loose!" Joey adds.

Due to being the smaller of the two between her and her opponent, Orchid seems to have taken a bit more of a toll from the elbow than vice versa for Scorpion, as her recoil from the strike seems a bit worse.

Scorpion quickly manages to shake off the Firecat's elbow, unlike her, but the strike still manages something out of him.

Interesting that they seem to go for it a second time, turning around to face each other, and _again_ smack each other across the face, more across their jaws this time around than across the cheek or temple.

JR shouts, "Both fighters pulling no punches! There is no need to show respect when they're battering each other time, and time again!"

B. Orchid falls to her knees as she crawls back into a corner, this time over to the corner to the left of where she started this match. Scorpion, on another hand, nearly tumbles to a single-knee position on the corner right at the very opposite side of the ring.

"Fans, if you were looking for a match that channeled puroresu at some of its finest, I'm amazed to say that this match is for you!" Joey Styles proclaims, considering this surprisingly high up already on the best matches to have come out of the Tournament of Fate so far in these first two rounds.

Tazz then additionally mentions, "This feels like quite the way to start off the finale to Round 2!" "And a way to send the fans home happy for the first day of this two-part show!"

Indeed, it does feel like one hell of a way to start off what could be considered the main event match of this first day in the Tournament of Fate's two-day span. It's almost godlike with how these two fighters with nothing to hold back and nothing to lose go at each other with stiff and calculated strikes within the first couple of matches, with full force and harm intended, and have it very much unlikely to put a dent to their body, and most importantly, their mind, in the long run.

Both considering a knockdown attack to the other, Orchid and Scorpion charge at each other again...

...and at the same time, they slam arms against chins, striking each other with clotheslines that concurrently brought them both down to the ring mat with a hard thud, backs slamming the canvas. The simultaneous rammage between the two sparks yet another 'OOH!' from the crowd.

However, they don't seem to stay down for long, as the femme fatale and the fire-throwing ninja suddenly kip-up, almost synchronized with each other as they spring up to their feet, then turn their heads to make eye-to-eye contact with their opponent.

The crowd is _ecstatic_.

"THIS IS AWE-SOME! *clap clap clapclapclap* THIS IS AWE-SOME! *clap clap clapclapclap*"

"Holy _crap_ , these fans are eatin' this stuff up!" Tazz sounds amazed by how quickly the match has garnered the praise of the arena-wide audience.

"And here I thought Japan was the king of hard and heavy-hitting matches being this fierce, this quickly!" Joey Styles quips as Orchid and Scorpion continue their staredown, soaking in the heat of the much-anticipating crowd.

Jim Ross then says, "Yes, it looks like this match could be looking to help the second round of this Tournament of Fate end on a big bang, rather than a whimper. The first-round bouts that both Orchid and Scorpion have had to go through seemed to be just the beginning; now, we will see desperation, anger and determination all put to good use, in this match!"

No one else could really say it as JR can...


	38. R2: Black Orchid vs Scorpion part 2

**Tournament of Fate, Round 2  
Black Orchid vs. Scorpion  
Part 2**

* * *

Orchid and Scorpion engage in a collar-and-elbow tie-up, settling things down after both went in at the start of this match kicking and maiming the other, and the crowd, in turn, calms itself down a bit as they watch on.

The ninja nearly gets forced into his corner during this lock-up, but he sidesteps around, keeping a hold onto Orchid's arms as he brings her down to the canvas with a double-overhook takedown.

"He drops her with a takedown," Joey Styles comments. "A very interesting decision to calm things down after that start."

Scorpion tries to restrain the Firecat's movement with a single-armed headlock as he deeply thinks ahead for a move that could prove to be effective against her, putting into consideration the fairly steep size difference.

However, Orchid slips out of her opponent's hold, sliding out from under his arm, before turning around and attempting to lock in a sleeper hold of some sort, intending to wear him down even further after her strikes from just moments before managed to leave him a bit weary.

"Orchid, probably a bit too small for Scorpion to take his plans, whatever they may be, into deep consideration." Jim Ross assumes.

Grabbing behind himself, to handle the back of Orchid's head, Scorpion chucks her back over his head to throw her down in front of him.

Tazz corrects JR's previous statement, "Oh, well, he can do _that_."

Getting a bit of a bounce off the canvas from her landing, Orchid rolls back into a single-knee crouch.

Scorpion approaches Orchid as she looks up to him, putting a bit of a shadow over her, and as a provoking force to the easy-to-anger Firecat, he strikes her on the back of the head with a open-hand smack.

She _immediately_ retaliates, springing up to respond with a slap of her own to the warrior from Japan, forcing his head at a quarter-angle to the left.

"Lookin' at a little slap battle action!" Tazz commentates.

He responds on his own accord with a left-hand strike with some good wind-up, battering B. Orchid on the chin with a throat thrust, knocking her down to the canvas.

"And one across the throat!" Joey proclaims.

"Reminds me a bit of Kane!" Tazz recalls. "Hey, wouldn't be surprised if they were long-lost relatives."

"Why, because they both love fire!" Joey inquires.

Tazz responds, "Well... yeah."

Orchid rolls out of the ring and to the floor to get the hell out of there. It almost looks like Scorpion will join her on the outside, but as he heads towards the ropes after her, rather than exiting the ring to follow her down, he just simply grabs the top rope with both hands, and stares down at the agent in green while she almost completely vanishes underneath the ring, presumably searching for a weapon.

JR states, "Black Orchid looking for a foreign object to put to good use in that ring."

Unfortunate that the shopping cart that got thrown off the side of the stage got taken to the back, depriving the rest of the tools that were placed in that cart of any use in future matches.

Thankfully, Orchid will find a way around it, as when pokes himself out of the ring, leaning his upper body out in between the top and middle ropes, to reach out at his opponent...

…Orchid springs up with a steel chair to smash across the Shirai Ryu spectre's head!

"Found one!" Joey shouts.

Scorpion tries not to stumble off his feet, as the whiplash off the chair shot causes him to lean sideways on the rope, sliding back a bit as B. Orchid re-enters the ring with the black, barely rusty steel chair.

Scorpion uses the ropes to lift himself up and on his feet as Orchid approaches him, and he quickly grapples her as soon as he reels himself back up. He hooks under and picks Orchid up with a swift scoop...

...and slams her back down!

"Scorpion with the scoop slam, calculating and retaliating with no room for Black Orchid to evade!" says Joey.

Orchid manages to hold onto the chair, even as she got lifted up suddenly and slammed back down just as quickly. Not for long, however, as Scorpion looks down at her and stomps on her hand to make her let go, and she does, as she reels over to her side, momentarily feeling her stinging hand as the chair slips out of her grasp.

The ninja fighter in yellow and black glares down at the chair for a brief moment, before he grabs it and holds it in both hands. His attention switches back almost immediately to the opponent. With Orchid taking her time to help herself off the mat, tending to her hand for a little bit too long, Scorpion raises the chair up past his head...

...and smashes the chair over her back, just plain throwing it down on her! The force of the chair going down on the grounded agent looks to be so hard, it bounces off her and gets a bit of distance going around the ring.

"Good lord, that chair almost _broke_ off that!" JR shouts.

"

Orchid splats back down to the mat, as if she made much progress getting up to begin with. She is down and out, longer than she was looking to, and Scorpion has her in a vulnerable position for another move.

Stepping through the ropes to the ring apron, as Orchid slowly turns over onto her back, Scorpion adjusts his position, and waits for her to roll over to a better angle for what he has planned for...

...he grabs the ropes tightly, catapults himself up to the top rope, turns around as he springs off them with both feet...

...and jumps onto Orchid with a swift moonsault!

"WHOA boy!" Tazz yelps. "Taking flight!"

"A perfect moonsault, using the ropes for some great leverage!" Joey Styles comments. "And he goes for the cover!"

Scorpion hooks one of Orchid's legs for a pinfall to test how much she has after taking that high-risk moonsault.

 **1! 2—Kick out!**

Orchid must feel relieved to have powered out of that, but she doesn't have much time to bask in the relief, as Scorpion grabs her by the throat almost immediately after. He slowly rises back up to his feet, taking his opponent up with him by the throat.

Taking Orchid across the ring, Scorpion throws her into the bottom left corner. Her arms briefly drape over the rope on both sides of the top turnbuckle, before Scorpion takes her by the legs, flips her around, and grabs her in a full nelson, wrapping his arms over hers...

...before tossing himself back with her, dropping her damn near on her head with a dragon suplex!

"Dragon suplex!" Joey utters. "Again he goes into the well of neck-dropping and jaw-dropping moves!"

"He may be tossing around someone half his size, but it's not like it's the first time it's happened tonight," Tazz mentions. "Hell, it's the third match in a row where there's a size difference like that – at least, it's not so much this time around."

Off the dragon suplex, Orchid rolls backwards onto her knees...

...and eats a very rough elbow across the jaw when Scorpion runs at her and smashes her across the face with one! She doesn't fall back much, which leaves the ninja to pick her up to her feet, and then bring her onto his shoulders in a fireman's carry position.

"The elbow to knock her silly, and now what does he have planned?" Joey inquires, as Scorpion steps around to the center of the ring, rotating a little bit as he walks around.

Orchid feels herself being carried around for a bit, before she suddenly gets whipped off, being held by her head by Scorpion...

...as he drops her with a smooth transition from the fireman's carry into a cutter!

"That, my friends, is what we'd call the TKO!" Joey proclaims, enthused to proclaim the original name of that move.

"Bet Marc Mero feels proud that this move exists for these guys to pull off so impressively!" Tazz assumes.

Scorpion looks to roll Orchid over for another pinfall attempt, but she rolls much quicker than he can really catch, as she gets out of the ring again.

"Again, this agent of mystery escapes," JR states. "Not willing to bother wasting stamina on kicking out again and again."

Tazz retorts, detailing the situation. "Scorpion's thinkin' smart right now, JR; he's trying to drain the energy out of her as much as possible to try and leave her exhausted by the end."

"That really depends on how much fuel there is in the tank; we've only seen a match and a half out of Black Orchid ever since this tournament started, but we don't know the extent of her stamina." Joey responds to Tazz's explanation. "There's only _so far_ one can go before running out of steam."

JR's response... "Well... I couldn't say it better myself, Joey."

Staring back at her adversary in the ring, Orchid plays the distance game, staying around ringside as a means to force both her and her opponent to rethink a strategy and adjust accordingly to the current balance of momentum that hangs above them for the time being.

A lock of eyes briefly ensues between both sides of the ropes of the squared circle, with Scorpion ensuring he's marked his place across the whole ring by running the ropes for a brief, dedicated segment of time.

Soon enough, the impatience begins to settle in within B. Orchid's mind, as she runs around one of the ring's corners, and leaps up to the apron. Scorpion chooses the exact moment Orchid hops onto the apron to attack, running towards her as she holds onto the ropes...

...only to be knocked back by another one of her sharp kicks to the head, his assault interrupted before it could even happen!

"Orchid says 'Hell no' to that!" Joey briefly says once the woman in green nails that kick.

Now clutching onto the top rope with both hands, Orchid elevates herself onto them and goes for a springboard attack...

...but before managing a complete jump, Scorpion runs back at her, scoops her off the ropes...

...and _slams_ her again, with a snapping powerslam!

"Big ol' powerslam to catch her out of the sky!" Tazz proclaims.

"Just as soon as she gets the advantage, it's taken away from her!" JR adds.

Pushing himself back up quickly as soon as he hit that powerslam, Scorpion gets a little jump up over Black Orchid, and runs at the ropes, where he jumps up to the middle rope, adds in an extra tiny leap to get to the top rope real quick, and jumps in, rotating as he flies towards the center of the ring with a splash on Orchid...

...only for her to roll out of the way! Orchid gets to the ropes facing towards the ramp as Scorpion smacks himself into the canvas off a missed splash.

Orchid handles the ropes to drag herself underneath them and get to the back to the apron, climbing them to help herself up to her feet. Getting a vertical leap up, she goes again for a bombardment of springboard proportions, this time extending her leg out for a jumping high kick, very much more a risk than usual crossbodies or anything similar.

She charges down on Scorpion with the big boot extended...

...only for him to catch her by the leg, grabbing her right out of the air!

"Black Orchid's springboard offense, again stuffed!" Jim Ross comments.

After keeping Orchid in place with her leg stuck under one of his arms, Scorpion soon lets her limb free, but only in exchange for his hand grappled around her throat with a single-armed choke.

"Goozled!" Tazz abruptly shouts, probably enjoying being able to say that word whenever somebody grabs another by the throat.

Clinging onto the back of Orchid's top with his other hand, Scorpion lifts her up, and leaves her in the air for a stalling lift as he aims towards the ropes that B. Orchid had springboarded off some seconds ago.

Backing up a bit, still carrying Orchid by the throat in one hand, soon makes a run across...

...and throws her over the ropes, sending her flying right out of the ring and dropping her on her back on the outside!

"By god!" JR shouts. "Orchid was just dumped, chucked out of the ring, with Scorpion showing strength and aggression! Hell indeed hath no fury on this man!"

"I wonder if that move's scorned Orchid towards that ninja," Tazz quips. "With how much of her ass is getting kicked by that guy, she's got some competition on her hands, and she's not willing to back down and lose!"

The audience experiences that horrific landing that Black Orchid just experienced, as if they were her, groaning as she splats against the ringside floor, before settling into some cheers as an ovation to the impressive toss itself. Sure, someone got annihilated off that move, and could potentially be injured if the landing was just a bit off, but the 'wow factor' helps almost as much.

"Orchid has... has _got_ to be out of it," JR laments as the agent stays lying on the floor, very slow to recover. "She's already been through a match tonight, and won, but that match, and this one, are with little knowledge on what makes her opponents tick."

"She's prepared for the worst, and... well, this could be pretty close to it, I gotta say." Tazz mentions.

Meanwhile, after looking down at his downed opponent for a while longer than one could consider necessary, Scorpion begins to set some farther distance between the two of them by exiting on the opposite side.

Earl Hebner also leaves the ring, but only to check up on Black Orchid, and see if she can continue further after that chokeslam to the outside.

"Orchid's just splattered on the outside off that toss – the referee is tending to her now, and from that, we will figure out how much she still has in the fuel tank for this match." Joey Styles details the situation for those wondering.

Having thrown the cloth of the apron up and left it there to keep it open for him, Scorpion begins to scatter into the undercarriage of the ring, going in for some hardcore plunder.

Soon enough, the crowd that can see Scorpion coming out from under the ring clearly can see slab after slab of wooden tables emerging with him, and they start to perk up for them.

"And _heeere_ come the tables!" Tazz happily proclaims.

"Once again, the danger that comes with the wood comes into play." Joey announces, as the amount of tables that Scorpion pulls out from under the ring goes from a couple of them lying down on top of each other to a thick stack that's almost tall enough to reach the ring apron.

Joey stutters a bit as he realizes the amount of wood stacked together. "Oh geez, l— _look_ at how many tables there are there!"

"It's like the Dudley family's wet dream!" Tazz quips as he chuckles in anticipation.

Meanwhile, there does seem to be some progress of recovery for Black Orchid, as she seems to be slowly, but surely, getting up, thus allowing Hebner the okay to leave her be and head back into the ring, where Scorpion is beginning to bring in some of the tables from that stack of dark brown wood.

Scorpion manages to get in about four tables under the ropes, letting them re-stack on top of each other, before moving them off to the right for more to come.

He picks up the fifth table, and slides it in under the ropes like the others, but as he does...

…Orchid is finally back to her feet, after a couple minutes dedicated entirely to her recovery, and she slips back into the ring, where she runs towards the general direction that Scorpion happens to be standing at as he messes with those tables...

...and slides down for a dropkick that pushes at the table, forcing it right into the ninja's face!

Tazz exclaims upon the impact, "Oh man!"

"As soon as she gets back into the game, she goes ahead and pulls off one hell of a counter-action with that table!" Joey announces.

The edge of the wood bouncing off against his head sends Scorpion staggering into the barricade, with a recognizable scratch right above his nose forming as a result, as B. Orchid runs back, rebounds the ropes for some forward momentum...

...and flies out between the ropes, colliding with him against the padded guardrail, almost making an opening as it budges mildly off the aggressive collision!

"A big suicide dive to the outside!" Jim Ross exclaims.

"Not the first one we've seen in this tournament, and probably not the last, either!" Tazz "Even then, it's still as effective as ever, maybe more with how Orchid does it!"

After crashing into her ninja opponent, Orchid rolls off of him slowly, dragging herself from the barricade over to the ring apron. Combined with that chokeslam she took that sent her out of the ring some minutes ago, that dive wasn't exactly something that can be considered a good idea after something like that.

She rolls into the ring, the place she can find reprieve within for now while Scorpion is knocked down on the outside.

Looking down at the stack of tables that were brought into the ring, they seem to catch Black Orchid's attention real easily – her mind circles with ideas to use those tables to help her maintain some momentum high above her opponent and maybe even get a victory off a spot that uses the fragile wooden furniture for her own personal advantages in this match.

"Hardcore thoughts entering her mind as she sees those tables..." Joey assumes, naturally.

Tazz states, "Given that Scorpion doesn't seem to have been rocked like she has earlier in this match, Orchid's probably got a lot more to endure before she can get close to a potential win here."

Speaking of, the recognized representative of the Shirai Ryu clan seems to have already gotten back up, recovering surprisingly well despite getting slammed into the barricade, and having gotten somewhat busted open by the hard edge of that table.

As Black Orchid picks up the first out of the stack of tables and begins to bring them into one of the corners in the ring, Scorpion looks to be getting frustrated with getting one-upped by the agent, as he paces around a little bit...

...then he suddenly decides to grab onto the table that still hangs halfway out of the ring, and yanks down to _snap_ that table in half, the outward side splintering off and bending down towards the floor.

"Whoa!" Tazz shouts. "Showin' some disrespect to that wood!"

"He's far from a happy camper at this point..." says Jim Ross, as Scorpion heads back into the ring.

Making accurate adjustments to keep the table leaned properly against the top left corner, Black Orchid is too busy to notice her opponent charging after her...

...and is way too late to act when Scorpion rams a shoulder into Orchid's spine and crashes her right into the table!

JR shouts, "Orchid's oversight gets the better of her, and now she's through a table!"

Scorpion backs off straightaway after colliding with B. Orchid and the table, looking down as she turns away from the corner and crumples to her knees.

He then grabs her by the head, yanking at the band of the goggles resting in her jet black hair as he takes position for the next move ahead.

"Got her open for something big!" Tazz comments.

Lifting Orchid up with arms wrapped around her body, Scorpion has her in the powerbomb position, backing away from the trashed corner...

...and then taking a running start before he tosses her down into the remains of the shattered table!

"Dropped with the powerbomb, and she gets a taste of that table for a second time!" Joey Styles announces.

"That same kind of table crashing bull did Roman in during the last round!" Tazz recalls. "It oughta be over right now!"

Scorpion grabs one of Orchid's legs and drags her away from the pieces of table in that corner, promptly going in for the cover.

Earl Hebner crouches down to count the leg-hook pin.

 **1! 2! NO!**

"Kickout! My god, a kickout!" JR shouts in lung-emptying shock.

Black Orchid powers out after a hefty internal struggle against the damage across her body, and the crowd, after counting up to two, is mostly surprised to see her break out of that pin and continue in this match.

"Well, now we can say the problem was that it was either a normal powerbomb, or an unlit table, that didn't do enough of a number on Black Orchid to get her eliminated from the Tournament of Fate!" Tazz expounds in justification to Orchid's kickout. "Either that, or she's just more of a durable S.O.B than Roman!"

After staying seated on the canvas next to Orchid, staring blank-pupiled daggers into her while she lies and takes deep breaths to gulp up some potential extra stamina, Scorpion's eventual retaliation to her kicking out of the pin is to climb over on top of her and start raining down punches on her bandaged forehead.

It takes about ten punches before Hebner starts to intervene and try to pull the shinobi warrior off of the badly battered agent.

Getting up after a few more harsh punches, and Scorpion backs off of Orchid's recumbent body. The fade of red across Orchid's bandaged head seems to grow a bit, presuming the reopening of the cuts from her bout with Ambrose about an hour ago.

"Brutality at its strongest point here, in the Tournament of Fate, with Orchid slowly taking on the role of the bloody and bruised underdog after so much of a beating!" says Joey.

The crowd might as well be unanimously on the side of B. Orchid despite being the reason of elimination for one half of what remnants of the Shield took part... which is odd given that Scorpion did away with the other half heading into the second round.

Looking down at his opponent, Scorpion argues, "Why even bother getting back up? Your battle's already lost..."

Despite barely being heard over the consistent noise of the crowd watching, his words certainly sound off towards Orchid. After that, he gets to the tables, picking one up and then half-hazardly throwing it into the corner, letting it lean surprisingly perfectly against it.

He then begins to do the same with the other corners, taking wood and placing it them into formerly empty corners, until all four corners are holding tables that are simply begging to be demolished within this match.

Back to focus on his opponent, with Scorpion picking B. Orchid up once again by her head... only for her to smack his arms away and jump up at his face into the perfect position for a hurricanrana!

"Whoa!" Joey exclaims, "Black Orchid, back into the fray!"

"She's jumped on his shoulders, but she doesn't seem to be... _settling_ well," Tazz mentions as Orchid's attempt to whip her opponent across with that sudden hurricanrana seems to be stalled, with Scorpion tightly holding her legs down on top of his shoulders, as if to go for another powerbomb.

The ninja targets one of the corners, certainly intending to put his victim through another table, but his grapple seems to have been stuffed just as suddenly as Orchid's hurricanrana, as she halts him with a couple punches to the head...

...and then she flips herself over his head and clutches onto his waist as she brings her down into a sudden sunset flip, heading seamlessly into a pin.

 **1! 2-**

Scorpion back-rolls out of the pinfall, and Orchid follows suit with a mirroring roll of her own, both rolling back to their feet in an unintentionally synchronized movement.

"Nothing past the hard two on that surprise roll-up." JR notes.

"The masterful martial artist from the Shirai Ryu clan can still manage to slip out in time!" Joey Styles mentions.

Orchid engages _immediately_ with a blunt elbow to the head of Scorpion, knocking him closer to the table at the bottom right corner.

Managing enough of a running distance, the green-clad femme fatale takes the opportunity, and dashes at Scorpion, attempting a Stinger-style splash to try and slam him through a table.

However, Scorpion evades the splash, expecting his opponent to fall through the table herself...

…but Orchid instead clings onto the tall sides of the table, and splits her legs a little wide to set her feet on the middle ropes to the sides. She then springs to the top rope, and springboards out of the corner at Scorpion.

She lands in his arms, knocking him down briefly with a springboard crossbody – however, Scorpion manages to brace most of the landing and recover rapidly, rolling over while carrying Orchid in a standard backbreaker position.

"Orchid, caught off that crossbody!" Joey proclaims. "And into the arms of Scorpion, where in every corner she could potentially go through, guarantees her through a table!"

A fallaway slam feels like the go-to move for Scorpion to try for to slam Orchid through another one of the truckful of tables.

He reels down...

...and as he tries to chuck Orchid across and through wood, she slips out at just the right time and hops back over his head! She lands behind him, and shoves him towards the bottom right corner.

Scorpion catches himself inches before colliding with the table in some way, stopping his own forward momentum. Just as he does, Orchid decides to just simply try and knock him down to better knock him out of his groove and leave him more likely to be thrown through a table than right now, as she runs and slides down for a chop block, clipping Scorpion's left foot with her elbow.

He goes down very briefly, as he drops down to his back, but he rolls back and recovers, as Orchid slides into the bottom right corner, immediately realizing the ninja's quick recovery from that leg clipper.

Scorpion barely has much of a struggle in getting back up, staring as Orchid they stand across the ring from each other, similar to how it was at the very start.

Tazz comments, "Another quick but impactful sequence goin' about, and I—uh, I think we just reached another stalemate..."

The staredown does just about enough justice to fully describe the tension that has developed impressively between the two ruthless fighters, after many an elbow, many kicks, many slams and splatters around the canvas and around ringside, during this round-closing bout.

...and then the table behind Orchid bursts into flames, blasting right at her! It causes her to jump back a bit, as it genuinely manages to catch her off-guard – something that could be considered quite a bit of a feat since not much else has especially fazed her like this.

Tazz yelps, briefly jump-scared by the fire suddenly bursting on the table. "WHOA!"

"Jesus!" Joey shouts, just as startled to have seen that happen again.

"And just like that, the flames seem to have followed Scorpion into this match!" JR proclaims.

Black Orchid is lucky to have not gotten any closer to the fire that exploded onto that one corner table, especially given how out in the open her jet black hair is. As she crawls away from the burning table, Scorpion steps away on his own part, from the top left corner, just as the opposing agent began to approach him...

...and then the table at that corner lights up in an orange burning fire of its own!

"Ooohh no...!" says Joey. "Just doubling the danger now..."

"Ho-ly shit..." Tazz expresses, "...Think we're entering a circle of hell right about now with all this fire!"

The flames spreading from one corner to the other have really started to get to Orchid and start to disorient her – not entirely because the ring was becoming increasingly dangerous, but more that she wasn't necessarily expecting a lot out of this fight besides a tough battle and a well-fought victory on her side.

As Scorpion circles around Orchid, the other two tables seem to be sparking up a little before stirring up some more fires of their own, slowly rising unlike the abruptness of the first two tables. Now all four tables have connected within an intense four corners of an inferno.

The ninja in yellow definitely seems to know what he's doing with the fires spread around the ring, a high risk to not just the ring, but the whole arena, with the very slow build-up of smoke within the ring that could potentially rise up. To him, they are meant to intimidate the opponent, before he can do major damage.

Scorpion and Orchid stand in the center of the ring, surrounded by the orange flames, as the heat in the ring, both within the feud built up between the fighters, and the physical heat caused by the fire in all four corners, ramps up.

Good Ol' JR's words reverberate across to the viewers listening in, "We are seeing a world of fire wrapped around these two fighters, these two warriors willing to do almost anything to defeat each other! As god is my witness, this can only end in one's tragedy, and another's victory!"

* * *

 **With this chapter done, I've officially hit the 100k word count for this story – a feat only reached before by my second and third FanFiction Royal Rumbles of the past (and something the unfortunately discontinued fourth Rumble won't reach). This is also the story with the most chapters, five more chapters – including this one – than my old 'Total Cartoon Island' story.**

 **This act of the Tournament of Fate is just about to close off, with one more part for this match, and one more chapter after that to develop the stories not directly related to the Tournament of Fate a little more before heading into the third act, and to the last two rounds of the tournament.**

 **Be sure to favorite and review if you haven't and I'll see you in the next chapter!**


	39. R2: Black Orchid vs Scorpion part 3

**Tournament of Fate, Round 2  
Black Orchid vs. Scorpion  
Part 3 (Finale)**

* * *

Black Orchid - the agent of unknown origins, sent here; she is a somewhat paranoid and aggressive being, from what we've seen in her interactions, and her match, with Dean Ambrose, who could be considered almost more sane in comparison. Her spirit animal, the Firecat, could be part of the reason of her strength, and how she managed to defeat Ambrose in the first round.

Scorpion - the man known to his clan as Hanzo Hasashi; a manipulator of fire based from his resurrection as a spectre, and perhaps the more experienced when it comes to combat. His will to compete is often fueled by the anger caused by his unfortunate past, which in turn fuels the fire that he can physically use to his advantage, including setting things like tables on fire, and transport from place to place using those flames. It's no wonder he managed to defeat Roman Reigns in the first round of this tournament.

Both are in for different reasons that have yet to really be fleshed out from what we've seen of them, but one objective is similar between the two: **engage and annihilate the other for the win.**

The fire of the tables in all four corners of the ring builds together a lot of smoke, enough to surround the ring in a slight fog.

Orchid sits on her knees, surrounded by the fire, and the man who started it, as her face twitches with frustration towards her opponent, attempting to not let the fire that he's spread get to her head any further.

As she stares into the blankness of the ninja warrior's eyes, Scorpion looks back down in turn, as he towers over her, with her kneeling in front of him...

He says, "You have but one last chance – face the flames or _burn_ like the rest..."

After that grave warning, Orchid begins to squirm back to her feet after a good minute on her knees. She meets closer to Scorpion's eyes, the height difference looking much shorter now that she's on her feet.

"I don't think we've been around this much of a raging inferno in the squared circle before!" Jim Ross states. "This is insanity!"

"If anything, this insanity is probably something Heyman is excited to see, especially since he wants to ring in a new era of wrestling with this tournament!" Joey Styles remarks.

Plopped into this responsible role as the Tournament of Fate's sole referee, Earl Hebner doesn't know what to do with all these flaming tables in the corners. Thankfully, a stagehand seems ready at standby with a fire extinguisher in case one of the tables breaks and likely further spreads fire onto one of the competitors.

It _could_ happen.

It _might_ happen.

…

It's probably _**guaranteed**_ to happen.

Taking a step forward, Black Orchid suddenly strikes Scorpion on the left side of his head with an elbow that slightly bumps him backwards, towards one of the tables on fire; it looks like she is challenging him to one more exchange.

With a slow turn back to meet his eyes with Orchid's again, Scorpion eventually accepts the offer with a closed-fist strike to her face.

And so, the strike exchange comes back again, with Orchid manning hard, sharp elbows to worsen the scratch forming on Scorpion's face, while he combats the firecat with tightly-closed fists to worsen _her_ previous-match cuts, as well as multiply the damage with how his gauntlet-like gloves are put together, studded with little dots of metal on his knuckles.

"Here we go again!" Tazz proclaims. "Tradin' blows back and forth!"

Normally, there would be a 'boo / yay' sort of factor in the exchange, on the supporting side of one of the two trading blows. However, with how some of these matches are ambiguous with how the face / heel divide is, it's just simply the crowd chanting "YES! YES! YES!" timed with every blow bouncing against the body of one from the other.

After about twenty or so blows bounced back and forth within this hand-to-hand exchange, Scorpion manages to get the upper-hand on Orchid, striking her with some extra blows to bring her closer to one of the flaming corner tables.

"Keep that fire extinguisher ready, guys!" Tazz says to the staff at ringside.

Backing up a bit as Orchid attempts to shake some sense back into herself, Scorpion makes a run at her, gunning for a spear through that flaming table behind her...

...but Orchid catches him into a front necklock! She makes a 180 turn away from the flaming table, kneeing Scorpion in the gut a couple times to force him on his knees, to slightly level him down a bit more...

...and then a _DDT_ to drive him head-first into the canvas!

"Droppin' him on his head!" Tazz shouts.

"A DDT, driving him into the ring mat like a dart to a bullseye!" Joey Styles compares.

Immediately off the DDT, Orchid keeps holding on as she flips over on top of Scorpion, and off her first round match, the fans see what she's going for next...!

"Orchid may be looking for the guillotine choke that she used to take out Ambrose earlier tonight!" JR states, as the agent in green looks to try and tighten the under-arm grip around Scorpion's neck.

However, the yellow-clad ninja seems to be a tougher target for her to submit, as he's already managing to struggle and make it a bit of a problem when it comes to the guillotine choke.

Scorpion's upper body strength seems like it could combat against Dean Ambrose's and win with less trouble than the Lunatic Fringe would likely expect, as he's already begun to lift himself up to his feet, wrapping his arms around Black Orchid as he carries her up with him, her still trying to choke her out to no avail.

"Uh-oh... well, this ain't good for her, I can tell you that!" Tazz mentions.

"It doesn't look like Scorpion is weakened enough to get choked out like Ambrose did last round!" Joey analyzes.

"The Japan-born ninja fighter is proving to be quite a problem, and with these flaming tables under his design, it doesn't look like this is gonna end well!" JR states.

His arms wrapped aggressively around Orchid's back, Scorpion twists and turns while carrying her closer to the center of the ring...

...

...before planting her into the mat with a spinning spinebuster!

"Just trying to knock the wind out of her!" Joey states.

Knocked for a loop off that spinebuster, is fully broken away from her attempted submission on her opponent, her arms spreading out after getting slammed on her back.

Rather than going for an immediate pinfall off the spinebuster, brings Orchid's legs over on his shoulders, and lifts her back up, this time into the powerbomb position once again.

"That spinebuster may not have smashed any of those tables, but it looks like he could be targeting them _this_ time around!" JR assumes pretty easily, watching on as Scorpion turns towards the general direction that the flaming table at the bottom right corner sits.

The ninja makes a run towards that table...

...but he stops when he realizes the weight on his shoulders suddenly slipping by; a result of Orchid falling out of that position and landing perfectly on her feet behind him, as she breaks free...

...and knocks Scorpion in the noggin with a hard enzuigiri-style kick!

"Reversal!" JR shouts. "And a hard kick for good measure!"

Scorpion stumbles closer to the flaming table in the bottom right corner, as Referee Hebner stands nearby, close behind him.

"Scorpion lookin' a bit dazed here!" Tazz assumes, as Black Orchid distances herself away from Scorpion, preparing for a big running strike of some sort.

Orchid sits, half-kneeling, as she sets up a running start. She looks to be heading for a spear to her opponent, given her outstretched arms to allow her shoulder to try and collide, as she comes forth at Scorpion swiftly...

...only for him to sidestep precisely before she could collide with him. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the referee, as Hebner gets smashed by Orchid's blind tackle...

...and _slams right into the flaming table!_

"Oh my _**god!**_ " Joey proclaims his ever-recognizable buzzword when the referee collides with the blazing table!

"The referee! Poor Earl Hebner gets the worst of that spear!" Jim exclaims.

The fire that stands on the table immediately begins to spread over to the black and white stripes of Hebner's standard referee shirt. The stop, drop and roll occurs quickly, as Earl rolls over to the center of the ring to try and extinguish the spouts of fire on the back of his shirt, and the fire extinguisher at ringside is quick to be sprayed on him.

On the other hand, Orchid doesn't seem to receive any of the table's flames; this is fairly surprising considering her completely exposed hair, and she certainly has quite a bit of length on her jet black hair, enough to usually be one of the first things to potentially catch the helm of the flames.

The fire on Hebner goes away quickly when the fire extinguisher comes into play, leaving him with a cover of white from the extinguisher's gas, and a fair mist across the ring, one that somehow doesn't get rid of the flames in any of the other tables. Those wooden objects are still burning as brightly as ever, although perhaps just a tad less than when they started.

"Our ringside staff are luckily quick to act when fire comes into play," JR notes. "Our senior ref, Earl Hebner, doesn't look to be badly damaged from that, and thank god for that..."

Orchid is still very much splattered in the now flame-less rubble of that charred table in the corner, taking time to recover, as Hebner calms down his spastic reaction, the flames no longer attacking him.

Rising back to his feet after surveying the destruction before him, Scorpion pulls Orchid out of the corner and drops down on top of her for the pin.

Hebner is somewhat slow to count, having not completely recovered from being tackled into a table on fire, but he manages to get into position.

 **1! … 2! …**

 _No._ Orchid just about manages to power a shoulder up to kick out of that pin.

Hebner holds up two fingers in both of his hands towards Scorpion to emphasize how close he was to a pinfall victory.

However, it doesn't look like the iconic representative of the Shirai Ryu is really one to accept someone getting in his face, driving the point home of how close to a win he manages without actually getting a hold of it, as he suddenly grabs the referee by the throat

"Whoa! What the hell – what the _hell_ are you doin'?!" Tazz questions.

"It seems like he might be blaming the referee for letting that near-fall happen!" JR responds. "I wouldn't condone responding like _this_ , however!"

"He probably isn't wrong on that – poor Earl just got put through a flaming table," Joey assumes. "But even then, he _might_ want to rethink trying _this_!"

Both standing now, Scorpion lifts Hebner up into the air by his throat, ready to chokeslam him, much like he did to Orchid earlier in this match...

...and it looks like Hebner really _is_ going to receive a similar sort of punishment, as runs towards the ropes that themselves face towards the hard-cam filming this moment...

...and throws the referee right down to the ringside floor with no hesitation in sight!

"Good _lord!_ What in God's name are you thinking!" Jim Ross exclaims negatively, as the crowd reacts similarly, but mostly in groans from Earl's thud against the floor.

"It was bad enough when took that same kind of fall," Joey states, "but when a near-70-year-old man like Earl takes that bump... well, that's a whole 'nother story!"

The crowd chants at that chokeslam bump accordingly, alternating between "HO-LY SHIT!" and "YOU SICK FUCK!" as stares down at the crumpled referee on the outside of the ring, showing no remorse at all.

"Think the crowd is as shocked as _we_ are!" Tazz addresses the audience's vocal response.

"Well, it's quite the reaction – something that Paul Heyman probably likes to hear; any big reaction is a great reaction regardless... and I guess that's how you get people talking," Joey Styles mentions.

Looking on for a little longer as a couple of the medical personnel at ringside head over to the downed Hebner on the floor, Scorpion decides to turn back towards who really matters...

...only to be knocked back and turned back around by an Orchid roundhouse, as she follows it up by grappling around his waist from behind...

...drags him across the ring, towards the top left corner...

...and lays him out with a German suplex, through the second of the still-burning tables!

"Look out! Oh-hohoho, shit!" Tazz' glee gets the best of him, watching karmic justice bite Scorpion real bad as he gets chucked through a flaming table of his own.

"Another table! Another bed of flames, smashed to pieces!" Jim Ross calls out intensely, as while Orchid keeps a face-up lying position for a brief moment after the suplex, falls away from the corner and rolls over past her, closer to the center of the ring.

Much like how the back of Earl's referee shirt caught some of the fire when he got accidentally tackled through that one flaming table just moments ago, Scorpion's suffers a similar result, the fabric burning.

Unlike Hebner, however, the fire-experienced ninja doesn't seem to panic at all, rather lying face-down and letting the fire on his back set their course for the moment they stand before the fire extinguisher from ringside fires off on him to douse the flames. It's not like he seems too bothered by it, anyway...

Meanwhile, Black Orchid kips up back to her feet, again thankfully not having caught any of the fires herself, and immediately heads for the top turnbuckle in the corner of that freshly-smashed table, her back facing away from her opponent...

...where she jumps, making a turn back as she performs a front-flip...

...and lands precisely on Scorpion's back with a Phoenix Splash!

"And a Phoenix Splash for good measure!" Joey proclaims.

Almost getting a bounce off her landing on her opponent's back, Orchid rolls off of Scorpion's body, staring up into the lights as they are both laid out right next to each other.

"Orchid's taken a lot outta herself off that splash!" JR mentions. "Now they're both out of it...!"

"She'd be looking for a pin after that, but... well, poor Hebner doesn't look too great after that chokeslam..." Tazz laments.

The commentators voice the unfortunate inability for either competitor to pin the other and properly get a potential 3-count at the moment, as the medics who have been hanging around at ringside since the beginning of tonight's tournament help carry Earl up the ramp.

JR states, "It's a good thing he managed to last through the night, from the first match to the last – even then, I'm not sure if we even have a replacement official on standby..."

Earl reaches the stage, just about to head into the backstage area and to the doctors in the back...

...but then we start to see someone peek out from behind the curtains leading into the gorilla position.

Tazz is the first to notice, "Wait... wh-who the...?"

"Wait," Joey speaks up next, "Is that... is that Dean Ambrose?"

Indeed, it is - for some reason, Ambrose decides to come out onto the stage, and due to the lack of music playing him out, the fans don't really notice at first, and begin to give him a bit of an ovation now that they recognize him on the stage. Some would've thought it was some random stagehand late for work, or maybe the backup referee.

Even the people helping Earl Hebner to the back have stopped to recognize his appearance in front of them, left confused.

"Why is he out here right now?" JR questions the presence of the first-round loser. "He lost in this tournament already; I would've thought he left the building by now!"

"Well, take a look at the ring; Orchid beat him in the first round," Tazz states, "and she's in a match right now – with him here, her night _might_ not end well after all."

"We don't know _why_ he's here," Joey replies to Tazz's statement, "but – oh, well, it looks like we might

As Joey speaks, a situation seems to have started on the stage, with Dean peeling the referee shirt off of Hebner ( _all while trying not to rough him up too much while getting the shirt_ ) and then giving him a friendly tap on the back before the referee was brought the rest of the way into the backstage area.

Tazz gradually realizes the situation going on, as Ambrose begins to put on the white and black stripes for himself. "Oh boy. Ohhhh, 'kay, _now_ I think I see what he's out here for!"

"I think he wants to finish what Earl started with this tournament, and give this match a proper finale!" JR realizes. "Business seems to be picking up!"

Having commandeered, perhaps unofficially, the referee stripes, Ambrose runs to the ring, and slides in!

Just as he enters the ring, both Orchid and Scorpion are beginning to get back up after that Phoenix Splash spot, with the former more on her feet than her opponent, who hasn't even gotten up to his knees yet.

Ambrose checks up on Orchid first, trying to get a feel of whether she's fully back into it – only natural after getting his ass kicked by her in the previous round.

Her eyes gazing down lower towards the ring mat, she blindly shoves him away, wanting some space for herself in one of the demolished-table corners (the same one she Phoenix Splashed off of, to be exact) for a moment before getting back to her opponent.

Not long after, however, she hangs her head back up high, and when she does... well, the sight of seeing the guy she defeated back in front of her, wearing a slightly charred referee shirt, is not the sort of thing she wanted to see right now, especially in the expectations of any sort of backup referee after what happened with Hebner.

A look of confusion mixed with modest irritation comes across the agent's face, having met face to face with the 'Lunatic Fringe' for the first time since their match earlier tonight; Ambrose, on the other hand, doesn't look bothered to be in her presence, greeting her with a smile and a casual "Heeey," combined with a half-shrug to look like a relatively goofy and slightly awkward greeting as a result.

Tazz chuckles a little bit at this moment. "Heh-heh... well, I'm sure this is a bit awkward for the both of them."

"Doesn't seem like it on Ambrose's side," Joey retorts. "If anything, he probably finds this as a pretty interesting situation, maybe even convenient. I have my doubts about how well he's going to call the rest of this match down the middle, however."

"He's probably gonna try his damnedest, I'm sure..." JR assures.

All of a sudden, Orchid climbs up the ropes behind her and bumps Ambrose out of the way with a nudging boot...

...right as Scorpion fails a shoulder thrust into the corner, knocking hard against the ring post, right before Orchid jumps over him and drags him down with a sunset flip.

As Orchid begins to stand up, adjusting herself while keeping Scorpion's shoulders down, Ambrose gets down, ready to count his first pin since taking over as the referee.

 **1! 2-**

Just on the count of two, Orchid begins to lift Scorpion off the canvas in a powerbomb position; the inversion of the situation that sprung up a couple times earlier in this match, and the crowd began to rise up a bit more as her showcase of strength began to show again.

"Uh-oh! _Uh-oh!_ " Tazz shouts.

"Just raw strength being shown right now!" JR states.

Orchid makes a bit of a turn towards the table at the top right – we might be seeing a bit more firey destruction ahead...

... _or maybe not,_ as Scorpion suddenly wriggles out of the powerbomb, and falls out behind her, rolling her up with a school-boy pin from behind. She escapes the pin right before Dean can count it, finding herself right in front of the other flaming table left, at the bottom left.

The ninja stands up while Orchid is on her knees, and he guns up for a superkick to the face...

...but she rolls out, and he ends up kicking the table instead, smashing it into pieces! The table ends up folding up into a pile in the corner, burning slightly less as it sits like a light campfire...

"There goes _that_ table!" Joey proclaims. "Looks like it was too flimsy from the all the fire on it to handle more than a kick!"

An extinguisher is probably not needed for that third broken table, as the flames seem to slightly fade over time, while Orchid catches Scorpion in a go-behind waist-lock, winding around with a full-nelson, and then managing a great lift into a drop onto his neck and shoulders with a dragon suplex!

She flips back over, going for another round as she inches closer to the top right corner, the one flaming table left to try and put him through...

...but before she does, Scorpion stuffs her attempt, elbowing her in the side of the head until she's knocked for a loop, allowing him to slip out of the waistlock and throw her down.

Out of her clutches, he backs away from her as she falls down to one knee, a bit groggy off the elbows...

...He runs at her, ultimately tackling her with a shoulder ramming her in the side...

...and then smashing her through the last of the tables with a brutal spear!

"And the last table has just been _smashed_ out of commission with that spear!" Joey shouts.

The fire extinguisher was quicker this time around, spraying off the white mist almost immediately after both competitors collide with the flaming table and smash it into bits.

"About time the rest of the fire's getting put out!" Tazz mentions, coughing a little. "Think some of the smoke was starting to get to my throat there..."

B. Orchid has definitely taken most of the collusion there, pretty much flattened out for the time being, while Scorpion doesn't struggle much to get out from within the table's darkened and charred debris. After sitting up to his knees, looking down at Orchid downed before him, he grabs her by the head and slowly brings her out from the table along with him, preparing to capitalize on her disadvantaged position.

Brought down underneath her opponent's legs, Orchid is on the wrong side of what might be the finish, as leaves her down there for a moment before wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her up.

Dean Ambrose, maintaining the responsible position of referee as much as he can, watches as Scorpion carries Orchid by her arms, bringing her into a crucifix position above his head – this same kind of powerbomb ended Roman Reigns' night in the first round...

It looks like seeing Orchid positioned like this gives Ambrose some sort of flashback feeling, looking back to Roman's downfall to the flame-likened ninja's crucifix powerbomb, as he looks up to the lady in green's position, behind Scorpion, and all she can do is look back down at him.

"This could be the match-ender, right here!" Jim Ross proclaims, expecting as much considering how the Scorpion / Reigns match ended in a somewhat similar way.

...

With little wonder why from the crowd, Ambrose drops down to his knees...

...and then he suddenly _jabs Scorpion in between the legs_ with a low blow!

"What the hell?!" Joey Styles is sprung by surprise as a result of Ambrose's actions.

Even someone with the ruthless spirit of a warrior, like the Shirai Ryu's Scorpion, is not very immune to the dirty and dreaded low blow, as he immediately drops and falls to a single-knee position, surprisingly humbled by that punch in between the legs.

"What the... how the... why the _hell_?" Jim Ross can't really put this into words at first, but he manages to spit it out... "Why is he helping her, after what they've put each other through earlier tonight?"

Nearly face-planting as she falls to the canvas, being dropped from that crucifix position, she immediately turns her attention towards Ambrose, gazing up with a slightly different expression of confusion, this time looking less irritated and more... just plain astounded that he was... actually managing to _help_ her.

The crowd was just as much surprised, as they were cheering, as with the lunatic from Ohio brought into the picture, they've fully sided with him, and to a lesser extent, Orchid, against the opponent.

Staring down to see the look on her face, Dean just shrugs. "My bad?" he says, barely hiding the smile that somehow confirms his siding with her.

Seeing the advantage that has come before her as an opportunity of some sort, Orchid ultimately decides to roll along with it, and she climbs through the ropes, to the apron...

Standing up on the ring apron, as Scorpion sits in the center of the ring, B. Orchid then jumps up to the top rope, bounces off...

...and drives a knee to the side of his head, further knocking him out of his groove!

"A knee strike to the head, to take advantage, and the momentum, with no looking back!" JR announces.

"Looks like she's just gonna roll along with what's happening!" Joey assumes.

 _Still,_ Scorpion isn't knocked completely out of it, and Orchid knows it very quickly, as immediately off the springboard knee, she runs the ropes again...

...and with a high-rising foot, she shoves it down on the back of his head, and stomps his face into the canvas with full force, completely flattening him out in the center of the ring!

"And a—a _curb stomp_ for good measure!" JR shouts right as the impact of the move rattles the ring!

"Shades of... well, take a guess _who_!" Tazz leaves the inspiration of that curb stomp to the viewers' mind.

With that, Orchid rolls her opponent over and covers him, and Ambrose jumps in for the count!

 **1!**

 **2!**

 **3!**

The uproar of cheers as the bell rings is massive, and it feels just about right on the ending to the final match of the night!

* * *

 _("Touch Me And I'll Break Your Face" - Mick Gordon feat. Ali Edwards)_

* * *

" **The winner of this match... Black Orchid!** "

"I guess... I guess that's it!" Tazz says. "Orchid advances!"

"Not without a little help along the way, of course..." JR replies. "Even if it isn't exaclty the right of way that I usually hold onto, I can't help but wonder _why_ Ambrose chose to do what he did

Speaking of, Ambrose raises the hand of for a brief moment, before he begins to make his way out of the ring and up the ramp. Considering he looks like he's in a hurry to get out of there, it's probably that way because he doesn't have a good cling onto what Scorpion, the guy he screwed over, or even Orchid, after helping her, might do to him. Considering the match he lost against Orchid, he's not exactly in tip-top shape for a brawl if one was to break out.

Orchid looks back, still a bit shaken by his help... it's not like she _wanted_ it, but considering how close she was to losing the bout and falling away from her undisclosed mission, she didn't have much of a choice but to accept it and take the opportunity.

After a brief moment longer to look down at the prone body of Scorpion, the man she _barely_ managed to defeat (even if it wasn't entirely on her raw strength and durability alone), and then the demolished tables around the ring, slowly begins to head towards the ropes, and exit the ring.

A little bloodied but still kicking off well now that the match is over, she slides out onto the apron, and sits there for a moment, looking up to the ramp to just barely see Ambrose disappear from behind the curtains, into the backstage area.

Soon enough, Orchid drops down from the apron and limps her way up the ramp, as Joey Styles began to speak up, detailing what's to come in the last couple of rounds of this tournament.

"With that match," he started, "Day 1 of the Tournament of Fate looks to be in the books! With our four semi-finalists officially decided with all these grueling bouts of blood, sweat and tears, tomorrow night, we will see Kevin Owens square off with Daniel Bryan to start us off, and we will see this woman, Black Orchid, go toe to toe with the Beast – Heyman's Beast, Brock Lesnar! The Extreme Rules stipulation will maintain into the second day, and that will mean just more carnage for those four to go through! I'm Joey Styles, on behalf of Tazz and Jim Ross, and we'll see you tomorrow – same time, same place, on Twitch! _Good night_!"

The lasting image of this broadcast has heading into backstage, before an ending card comes up in the corner and we get a fade to black...

 _ **"Ultimatum Wrestling Underground, Tournament of Fate, (c) 2016"**_

* * *

 **In case you're wondering – no, this isn't the _last_ chapter; we've still got an epilogue to go out on before Act 3!**

 **My reluctance to stick to a chapter and keep writing throughout days, along with a brief moment where my computer decided to die for an hour until I replaced something, sort of kept this chapter from being finished sooner.**

 **Speaking of chapters – there's still a couple chapters left of _Quirkiness of Fate_ left to be done, with one or two more notable chapters to go before an ending chapter of sorts that leads into _something_ in the intro of ToF's third act, and the next chapter (chapter 5, I think?) will be on its way within the next week or so.**

 **Speaking of, news on Act 3 will come soon, within the next chapter or so; stay tuned for more soon...**


End file.
